As Chairman and CEO of Havas Group, Yannick Bolloré oversees one of the world’s largest communications groups: more than 20,000 people in 100 countries.

Yannick began his career in film, co-founding WY Productions (Hell, Yves Saint Laurent). He joined his family business in 2006 when he launched and developed the media division of the Bolloré Group, and moved on to the role of Havas Group CEO in 2013. Since then, he has overhauled the Group’s structure, bringing together its capabilities in creative, media, digital, data and more to create the most integrated offering in the industry.

Yannick has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and a Knight in the French Order of Arts and Letters.

Chris Hirst is a change agent, widely recognized as an innovative and inspirational leader.

After a decade in CEO positions, he has a proven track record of leading transformation – guiding his businesses to deliver reputational change, growth and a culture of enduring success.

Prior to being named Global CEO of Havas Creative, Chris had been CEO and Chairman of Havas UK and Europe since 2017. As UK CEO he led 1,800 people across both Creative and Media disciplines working within the European HQ in Kings Cross.

This truly integrated agency is a model many in the industry are looking to emulate and is a move Chris has overseen since he joined the business in 2015. Thanks to his leadership, Havas UK now has an unrivaled breadth and depth of capability under one brand and in a single location, making it one of London’s most exciting and talked about communications businesses.

Chris was previously CEO at Grey London. Under his leadership, the agency went from being a failing, ‘safe but dull’ agency to the hottest creative shop in London. During his 6 years as CEO, Grey London was the fastest growing (doubling its size) agency in London – named IPA agency of the year in 2014.

Chris went to his local state secondary school in Northumberland, before heading to Brasenose College Oxford to study Engineering Science. After an apprenticeship at Pilkington Glass in St. Helens he embarked on (an unlikely) career in advertising.

After a decade establishing his ability in outstanding account management, Chris went to Harvard Business School (2008) where he developed his unique and now proven, approach to leadership.

He believes in the principles of an open culture – where people are given permission to thrive and take risks – accepting that mistakes are a necessary part of success. He is actively engaged in broadening the appeal of the advertising industry and sees diversity and social mobility as key factors in the future health of the creative industries in the UK and Europe.

Chris is a member of the board at Vivendi and a trustee of the MOBO Foundation in the UK. He also holds a number of non-exec positions within the startup community.

Chris is a regular speaker at industry events and commentator in national press including BBC News, ITV News, The Politics Show, Evening Standard, FT and Sky News.

Chairman and CEO of Havas Media Group since 2013, Raphaël was appointed Chairman of Havas’ creative agencies in Southern Europe in May 2019. He also serves as Chairman & CEO of Havas Village France.

Before Havas, Raphaël launched his career at TBWA. He later became head of Canal+, a Vivendi company, in France. From 1992 to 2010, he worked in creative, mainly at BETC Paris, where he became CEO from 2007 to 2010. In 2010 Gunn Report ranked BETC the No. 2 most creative agency of the world.

Raphaël is also President of the Union of Consulting Firms and Buy Media, the Association of Media Agencies (UDECAM), a member of the board of directors of the International Emmy Awards, and a lecturer at HEC Paris, one of the most prestigious business schools in France.

Raphaël earned his degree in marketing and communications.

Rémi Babinet is Global Chief Creative Officer of Havas and the founder of BETC Paris, France’s leading agency. BETC is now a global micronetwork, with additional outposts in London and Sao Paulo.

BETC has been named the “most creative French advertising agency” for 12 of the last 16 years, thanks to iconic work for the likes of Evian, Air France, Peugeot, Canal+, Petit Bateau, and Lacoste. The Gunn Report’s second-best agency in the world in 2010, BETC also created Evian Rollerbabies, certified by Guinness World Records as the most-viewed online ad of all time.

Rémi is Head Lecturer at the Institut des Sciences Politiques in Paris, and has served as guest editor of The Gunn Report, foreman of the D&AD TV jury, and President of the Film, Press, Outdoor, Radio and the Integrated juries at Spikes Asia.

Tracey started her career as a suit with Lowe Howard Spink in the halcyon advertising days of the 1990s, where she was part of an agency who delivered award-winning work for clients such as Tesco, Stella Artois, and News International.

She moved client-side to Lloyds TSB before having a number of years running her own consultancy, working for numerous intermediaries and agencies advising on client/agency relationships and new business best practice. She then moved back into the agency world, joining Havas helia (then EHS Brann) and taking them to Agency of the Year, before joining DLBi and working with Kitcatt Nohr and Digitas LBI.

Tracey joined Havas as Creative Group CMO in September 2015 before being promoted to Europe and UK Group CMO – a role in which she oversaw new business and marketing for Havas’ media and creative agencies in the UK and across Europe. She was promoted to Global CMO for Havas Creative in April 2019.

Yvonne oversees the network’s external and internal communications. Her responsibilities include establishing partnerships with leading organizations, supporting key client initiatives, and evolving tools and platforms to scale best practices across Havas Group. As leader of the global communications team, Yvonne develops, implements, and evaluates the annual communications plan and coordinates global PR efforts for Havas Group’s network of agencies.

Before joining Havas, Yvonne was the founder of marketing, strategy, and PR consulting company, Jarchow Communication, which she ran for about five years across key markets in Europe.

Prior to that, she held management roles for more than nine years at Germany-based Hubert Burda Media, one of Europe’s biggest publishing houses with a portfolio of more than 250 magazines. As managing director, she was responsible for directing all marketing and communication for ELLE group, Freundin Magazin Verlag, and Das Haus.

Originally from Asturias in the North of Spain and currently based in Dubai, Alberto Canteli is the chief executive for Havas Group in the Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the Common Wealth of Independent States, Turkey, the Middle East, among others.
Alberto joined the Group in 2000, and he has been a key pillar in the international expansion of Havas Media Group during the first decade of the new millennium.

He holds an MBA from the Instituto de Empresa, a Master’s in Marketing Management from Esade Business School, and a GMP from Insead. Alberto is a prolific speaker and visiting lecturer at several forums and business schools.
Married and with two children, his passions are cooking, wine, and sports—with his beloved Real Madrid soccer club at the core of his heart.

Patti Clarke, formerly Patti Clifford, is Chief Talent Officer of Havas Group, where she oversees all aspects of human resources and partners with the executive team to drive organizational strategy and fuel cultural change for Havas’s 16,000 employees globally.

A key strategist of collaborative talent initiatives between Havas’s creative and media divisions, Patti has launched initiatives on a network mobility, high-potential leadership development, and global employee engagement.

Patti’s experience includes a 20-year career at Dun & Bradstreet, where she was SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer and ran global internal communications. A trusted partner to two CEOs and C-suite peers, she led D&B to industry honors as one of Fortune Magazine’s “Most Admired Companies”. Before joining Havas, Patti also ran her own consulting business.

Christophe, one of France’s most accomplished creatives, became a creative director at the age of 32 and has since accumulated an impressive number of national and international awards: 9 Cannes Lions, including one in 2013 for the AirFood Project solidarity campaign, plus a number of Clios, Eurobest, Epica, International London Festival, Club des AD, Effie, Grand Prix Stratégies, Grand Prix de l’Affichage awards and others.

Marque brands, which include Peugeot, Danone, Canal+, Reebok, BNP, Renault, Playstation, Canon, Nissan, Free, Kellogg’s, Heinz, Petit Navire, Fiat, France Télécom, TPS, Française des Jeux, Opel, Nestlé, EDF, McDonald’s, Veolia, LVMH, Orange, the French Navy, the Nicolas Hulot Foundation, Paypal, entrust their image and reputation to Christophe, citing his enthusiasm and philosophy.

Because Christophe—who has a weakness for huge mass-market, empathy-stirring, big-hearted campaigns—nurtures one particular trademark: the 5Hs. A good campaign, in his view, needs to be rooted in history, humanity, humor, honesty and hype.

Now at the head of a hub consisting of around 90 creatives encompassing all the disciplines, including advertising, web, design, and publishing. A team of specialist creative directors backs Christophe. “My talent stems from the talent of others,” he is often heard to say.

Christophe trained at EFAP Image before starting his career in 1987 with HDM–BETC (part of the Euro RSCG Group), teaming up with Nicolas Taubes. He pursued the next stage of his career with Publicis as creative director on the Renault account (1995–1997). AT TBWA he was appointed creative director (1997–1999), at the age of just 32. In 1999, Léo Burnett brought him in as VP and creative director for accounts that included France Télécom, Fiat, Heinz, Kellogg’s, and Intermarché. In 2003, he was appointed creative director at McCann Erikson before moving on to Saatchi & Saatchi France in 2004 as VP, Creation. Havas Paris brought him on board in May 2011, initially as VP and chief creative officer and then, in November 2012, as chief creative officer.

Gaëtan joined Havas in 2009 as CFO, Havas Media France, subsequently becoming Deputy CFO of Havas in 2012, where he led the Group Internal Audit Team, Havas IT and Havas Financial Services in France.

Gaëtan began his career as an external auditor at PwC, after graduating from Rouen Business School. He went on to several leading French companies—including Novalliance, Carrefour, and the Bernard Hayot Group, before joining the Bolloré Group in 2007 as Head of Internal Audit.

After obtaining a degree from Rouen Business School, Gaëtan began his career in 1991 as an external auditor with PwC before moving on to hold several positions in leading Groups in France (Novalliance, PwC, Carrefour).

Gaëtan lives in France and is married with three children.

Mercedes Erra is Executive President of Havas Worldwide; Managing Director of Havas; and founder and manager of BETC, France’s leading advertising agency, since 1995.

Mercedes is an expert at building and managing global brands. She engineered major strategic shifts for clients including Danone (health), Evian (youth), and Air France (vision), and created BETC Consulting and BETC Consumer Intelligence to drive consumer and brand expertise. Under her leadership, BETC was named “second most creative agency in the world” by The Gunn Report in January 2011 and “best creative agency” in France by CB News in 2010, for the thirteenth time in 16 years.

Born in Catalonia and raised in France, Mercedes holds degrees from HEC and the Sorbonne, is a founding member of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, a member of Human Rights Watch’s French Committee and a permanent member of the French Commission on the Image of Women in the Media. Mercedes is also Honorary President of the HEC Association (France’s most prestigious business school), a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (and was recently promoted to Officier of the Légion d’Honneur), and a recipient of the French National Order of Merit. She lives in Paris with her five children.

Stéphane’s career has spanned politics, economics, media, and advertising. He worked as a music producer and in the cabinet of France’s Minister of Agriculture before entering the communications world. In 1988 he joined RSCG and co-founded the corporate communications agency RSCG Public, which would later become Havas C&O — now the top French Corporate & Financial Communications agency.

He was named CEO of Havas Worldwide France in 2003, Executive co-Chairman of Havas Worldwide in 2005, and Vice President of Havas Group in 2011.

Stéphane has worked with major global clients including Airbus, BNP Paribas, LVMH, Alcatel, Capgemini and Microsoft; and has served as an international political advisor to world leaders including Poland’s President Aleksander Kwasniewski (1995-2005) and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Stéphane holds degrees in Public Law and Political and Social Communication, and is the author of Les Nouvelles Elites (2007). He sits on the Board of Directors of Médecins Sans Frontiéres, and was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite in 2005 and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2008.

As Global Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Worldwide, Marianne Hurstel directs brand strategy for the network. She also serves as Vice President of BETC, and in 2002 co-founded the BETC Consulting division with Mercedes Erra.

Marianne joined Havas in 1990 as Associate Director on the Chanel International and Blédina International accounts. She moved to focus on the LU account in 1995, and then expanded her responsibilities to strategic consulting. In her time at Havas, Marianne has worked on the repositioning of brands including Lacoste, Air France, Louis Vuitton, Evian, L’Oréal, and Danone. Today, Marianne also contributes her strategic perspective to major new business pitches, and directs Havas Worldwide’s original thought leadership platform, Prosumer Report.

Mason started Havas China in 1993, growing the agency from a one-man office to more than 800 full-time staff and 35,000 part-time marketing service fieldworkers in 42 branch offices including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Mason moved to Canada in 2006, but in 2010 returned to re-join Havas as CEO of Greater China. In 2013, he was appointed Chairman, Greater China Group and oversees the Havas group across the region, as well as serving as a key member of the global leadership team. Mason has worked with such key clients as Kao, Ford, Philips, Intel, Compaq, Dell, Microsoft, Airbus, KSF Bakery, Yili Milk, Volvo, and Peugeot.

Once a professional seaman—before “jumping ship” to begin his agency career at McCann Erickson Taiwan in 1986—Mason acquired his master’s degree in Advertising Management at Michigan State University in 1989.

Frank is the COO & CFO for the Havas North American Creative businesses where has responsibility for the financial management of the region as well as the Havas NY agency. In this role, he supports and advises agency leadership, manages NA investments and oversees M&A activities, including integrating acquisitions. A client focused CFO, Frank works closely with the agencies on client strategy and satisfaction as well as managing the overall financial relationships. He also is the CFO supporting two of Havas’ largest global accounts.

Frank joined the former Euro RSCG as CFO of Euro RSCG 4D in 1999 and was promoted to CFO of Euro RSCG Worldwide in 2007. He took on the role of COO/CFO for North America in the renamed Havas Worldwide in 2013. Prior to Havas, Frank worked at the professional accounting services firm of Grant Thornton. Frank received a Bachelor of Science from the School of Professional Accountancy at C.W. Post in New York.

Born and raised in Long Island, Frank lives there with his wife and three children. In his spare time, he enjoys playing ice hockey, soccer, and boating.

Motivated by a determination to change the industry, Paul leads the portfolio of several major creative agencies across the United States. He oversees Havas agencies in Boston, Chicago, and New York.

In addition, Paul is part of the Havas North American mergers and acquisitions team and the Global Data Strategy Council. He has won numerous awards, including Best and Brightest Strategist from Advertising Age; and he has held several leadership roles at notable agencies, such as Greco Ethridge Group, Wirestone, and Havas, which has won him multiple Agency of the Year honors.

Paul has a passion for giving back and helping kids in crisis. His efforts are focused on supporting inner-city Chicago youth.

Donna has worked in pharmaceutical marketing for over 20 years. She left Goldman Sachs to join the Havas network in 1987, taking the role of Chief Financial Officer of the agency then known as RSCG North America. In 2003, Donna became Chief Operating Officer of Havas Life, where she played a key role in the growth of the global network, launching the startup of specialized services (Public Relations, Medical Education, Interactive, Managed Care Consulting, and Sales Training) as well as overseeing and integrating major acquisitions.

Since being named Worldwide Managing Partner in 2007, Donna has led the network to new levels of organic growth and momentum, and oversees the Havas Life global network: 60 offices and 2,000 employees worldwide. She was named Med Ad News Industry Person of the Year in 2008.

Donna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Pace, and lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

Jorge Percovich is CEO, Havas LATAM Group, based in Miami. Prior to arriving in Florida, he was CEO of Havas Group in Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador for more than seven years. Before moving to Colombia, he was Managing Director of Havas Media International, the Latin America Regional Coordination and Pan Regional unit for Havas Media Group in Miami. Havas Media is the No. 1 media agency network in Latin America (RECMA 2016).

A native of Peru who has lived throughout Europe, Latin America and the United States, Jorge has worked in advertising for more than 18 years and joined the Havas family in 1999 as General Manager of the firm’s Miami office.  He was one of the first individuals to establish a full-service multicultural media agency, moving to New York to spearhead the 2001 launch of the Group’s Diversity Division. In late 2003, he was tapped to simultaneously lead Havas Media International, which provides Havas Media’s global and regional clients, media coordination, and Pan Regional media planning, buying and research services.

Prior to joining the Havas Media Group, Jorge worked in the financial services sector in the United States, primarily in commercial and offshore banking, and had been the founder of successful private business ventures.

From 2003 to his assignment in Colombia in 2007, Jorge managed to turn the Havas Media International operation in Miami to the No. 1 position in the market as the leader in pan-regional media management. In Colombia, he achieved the No. 1 position in the market and was rated as the leading agency group in the market for the last three consecutive years.

Jorge has a degree in international finance and marketing as well as an MBA from IESE in Barcelona and an advanced management degree from Harvard Business School.

Eric is the chief creative for Havas Germany and Executive Creative Director for Havas Europe. He leads the European Creative Council with the goal to build a more creative reputation for Havas Group in Europe. He is also a member of the Global Creative Council.

Eric entered the ad industry in 1994 at a mid-sized independent agency in Cologne—proving that you can start a career by operating a color copier.

In 1999 he joined DDB in Düsseldorf. Twelve years later Eric was appointed Chief Creative Officer for DDB Germany and Austria with the task to form and lead a new agency born out of the fusion of DDB and Tribal with four offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Vienna. With his open and inquisitive nature, he influenced a new fusion of digital and creative. During this time, DDB managed to win more than 50 Cannes Lions for several clients, such as Volkswagen, McDonald’s, IKEA, and Deutsche Telekom. In 2013, Eric was appointed to the DDB Global Creative Council.

In September 2016, after 17 years with DDB, Eric decided to open a new chapter in his life and joined Havas. Eric is a member of the ADC Germany, D&AD, One Club, and loves the German soccer club FC Bayern Munich. He has served on several international juries, including at Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Clios, NY Festivals, Andys, and Lynx.

Eric is the father of two girls, is a committed vegetarian, and is a confessed vinyl junkie.

Mark is the chief creative of Havas London and a Global Creative Director at Havas.

He is the only creative director in London to have oversight of both the creative and media sides of a major network. Mark is responsible for 24 agency brands that include everything from advertising, CRM, design, and experiential to healthcare, PR, social and sponsorship, and more.

Mark and his colleagues have led the transformation of Havas into one of the most successful agencies in London, with recent clients wins that include Carling lager, Doom Bar ale, Dubai Expo
2020, Rekorderlig cider, and Rolls Royce. The agency also created a campaign for the capital city’s
domain name: .London. Recently, Havas London was short listed for Campaign Agency of the Year
2017.

Mark has focused on creating and implementing the Village model, in which Havas people with
different skillsets form bespoke and flexible groups come together to work on clie
nt projects, rather than staying within individual agency brands. In addition to this, Mark is spearheading the creative integration with sister company Vivendi, creating client partnerships in music, film, television, and gaming.

Mark is an advisor to the charitable trust of the London Mayor. He was also instrumental in bringing the British sitcom “People Just Do Nothing” to the production company who took it from a single video on YouTube to a three season, BAFTA winning TV hit. For this, he is still waiting for some kind of credit. Or even lunch.

Christian de La Villehuchet is CEO of Havas Benelux and Nordics Group, as well as Chief Integration Officer for Havas, responsible for driving collaboration and building shared offerings.

Prior to his current roles, Christian served as CEO of Havas Worldwide Europe for over five years and Co-Managing Director of Europe for two years. In February 2009, Christian was named “Person of the Year” by the Euro RSCG network.

Christian came to Brussels in 2002 as CEO of Euro RSCG Belgium, radically changing the scope and reputation of the agency, which now ranks among the country’s top three agencies. Previously, Christian served as Executive Vice President and Director of Development of Euro RSCG Europe, in charge of new business, R&D, training, strategic information, and communications for the group.

Christian joined the advertising world in 1990 as an account executive at Euro RSCG Paris. He then worked for two and a half years at WCRS—one of the most creative agencies in London — as an account executive for clients such as E.L.F. Cosmetics, Johnnie Walker, Lego, and the Daily Telegraph. Christian returned to Paris in 1993 as Account Director for international clients.

Christian graduated from HEC, the leading management school in France, and holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Economics from Paris Dauphine University.

Dany Naaman

CEO, Havas Middle East

With over 25 years of experience in the Media industry, Dany was one of the key founders of the Havas Media Middle East office when it was launched in 2005. Since then, Dany has overseen the regional operations of the Media division – from vast global companies and regional clients in over 14 MENA countries to out-post offices and teams in Riyadh and Beirut.

In February 2019, Dany was appointed as CEO of Havas Middle East. He is responsible for driving, controlling and building the quality of services throughout the Havas Village, continuing to work towards a fully integrated and customer central organization.

Dany’s career began in Lebanon in 1992 with his first job as a Sales Representative in a leading media house, where he gained extensive regional experience within the fields of sales, marketing, planning and buying. He worked his way up to Sales Director before moving to Dubai in 2000 to head up a multi-media sales team. Prior to joining Havas Media, Dany worked as the General Manager of Al-Khaleejiah Advertising & Public Relations, a Middle East print power house in the region’s Media Industry.

In 2015, in recognition of his contribution to the Group, Dany received the prestigious Leader of the Year Award, from Havas Media’s partner company, Chalhoub Group. In 2016, Dany was a Jury Member at the Cristal Festival, He is also a member of the International Advertising Association in the Middle East.

Dany graduated with a degree in Marketing from The Université Saint Joseph, the most prestigious French curriculum university in Beirut. He is a loyal fan of Ferrari and Juventus and you can often find him at the Dubai Kartdrome racing with his twin boys.

As the Chairman & CEO of Havas Group in Southeast Asia & India, Vishnu is responsible for the media and creative operations of the Group across 10 markets in the region. He took on the responsibility of setting up the media network for Havas Group in Asia in 2005 and is credited with building a large robust offering for Havas Media in Asia.

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Vishnu has worked across account management, strategic planning, and agency management roles at creative and media agencies in India, China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Launching his advertising career at Y&R in India, where he worked on the Colgate Palmolive business, he joined Euro RSCG in 1995, now Havas, in Singapore. Under his leadership, Euro RSCG grew to be one of the most successfully integrated 360 agencies winning Agency of the Year at the first Effies in Singapore.

Based in Singapore, Vishnu is a regular contributor to regional and global industry events, having been invited on the jury of top global and regional events. He is also on the board of the Asia Chapter of Mobile Marketing Forum and regularly speaks at industry events, including Ad Tech, Festival of Media, and Asia Pacific Media Forum.   He is a passionate champion of the Group’s global approach, Meaningful Brands, which outlines an opportunity for brands to reconnect with consumers.

An alumni of IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A), he is an ardent believer of the co-existence of innovation and accountability and his driving force is his version of ROI—return on innovation.