Havas Worldwide Appoints Chris Hirst as European CEO

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Havas Worldwide today announced the appointment of Chris Hirst as CEO of Europe, a new position for the agency. The announcement was made by Andrew Benett, Global CEO of Havas Creative Group and Havas Worldwide. In the new position, Hirst will oversee all Havas Worldwide teams and operations in continental Europe and the UK, with a focus on accelerating the agency's business development and growth across the region.

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As Havas Worldwide's European CEO, Hirst will work with Andrew Benett and the agency leadership teams to drive the network's strategy and to ensure integration across all Havas offerings.  He will lead 2,500 people across the various countries and agencies.

Andrew Benett said: "Chris is truly a transformative, world-class leader. I have tremendous respect for him, and we are delighted to have him join the team. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge in building and elevating creative teams and operations in the UK and European markets, which will be of huge value to our clients and employees as we continue to strengthen and invest in our Havas offering."

Hirst brings to the position significant international experience. Over the past two decades, he has worked for several of the industry's top communications and creative agencies, with a focus on international growth and advancement. He joins Havas Worldwide after a decade at Grey Group UK, where he most recently served as CEO and, prior to that, Managing Director. Under his leadership, Grey went from offering traditional advertising across Europe to being a fully integrated creative communications company capable of delivering innovative programs for leading brands. During Hirst's tenure, Grey London was named global agency of the year by Adweek in 2014, as well as one of Campaign's Top Ten agencies. Hirst has developed highly successful creative programs for clients, including HSBC, Vodafone and the British Heart Foundation. Prior to Grey, he spent four years as Client Services Director at Fallon London. He started his advertising career in account management at Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

Chris Hirst said: "I am thrilled to join Havas Worldwide and look forward to working with Andrew and the entire European leadership team. Havas Worldwide's range of capabilities across Europe is remarkable; its integration and collaborative culture have already resulted in an incredibly modern communications offering for clients. I am excited to help drive that further."

Havas Worldwide
Havas Worldwide is a leading integrated marketing communications agency and was the first to be named Global Agency of the Year by both Advertising Age and Campaign in the same year. The Havas Worldwide network is made up of 11,000 employees in 316 offices in 120 cities and 75 countries, and provides advertising, marketing, corporate communications, and digital and social media solutions to some of the largest global brands. Headquartered in New York, Havas Worldwide is the largest unit of the Havas group, a world leader in communications (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.PA).

Contact:
Yvonne Bond
Global Communications Director
Havas Worldwide
(212) 886-2035
[email protected]

SOURCE Havas Worldwide

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