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NEW CEO AT HAVAS WORLDWIDE HEALTH EUROPE SIGNALS AGENCY’S DEEP COMMITMENT TO GROWTH

August 30, 2012

The Agency’s New Head, Ben Davies, Brings Extensive Pharma Marketing and Advertising Experience to His Role

London (30 August 2012) — Havas Worldwide Health, a leading health and wellness communications agency, is pleased to announce the selection of Ben Davies as CEO of its European division, effective Sept. 3, 2012. Davies takes the reins from current CEO, Ed Stapor, who will serve through the end of the year in order to ensure a smooth transition before taking on a new challenge within the network. Davies will report to New York–based Havas Worldwide Health managing partners and CEOs Doug Burcin and Donna Murphy.

For the past 26 years, Davies has held a broad range of positions in healthcare marketing and advertising. He comes to HWWH from PAN Advertising, where he rose from director to managing director and ultimately CEO. Davies was also the co-founder and EU Chairman of Indigenus, an independent global network of entrepreneurial healthcare creative agencies; a member of the executive board and joint head of the health division at Creston Plc; and was previously a founding partner of both a consumer health agency and a medical education agency. His strong leadership and management skills and extensive experience in the field will be an asset for both employees and clients.

“We are very excited to welcome Ben to our team. His background in healthcare marketing and advertising is impressive and will be a tremendous contribution to our continued success in Europe,” said Burcin. “Ed's done a great job in this role and we have full confidence that under Ben’s leadership, we will continue to grow and innovate in Europe.”

“Ben’s credentials are incredibly strong and he’ll be a great asset to Havas Worldwide Health,” added Murphy. “We’re excited to see how his wide range of abilities and leadership experience will work to keep us at the forefront of the health and wellness communications industry.”

Commenting on the hire, Stapor said, “Ben is a real talent with a proven track record of success in Europe. He’s exactly what we are looking for to continue driving our momentum in the region and I am confident we are in good hands for future growth.”

Havas Worldwide Health is ambitious in its goals of gaining access to leading technology, bolstering its status as one of the world’s premier health and wellness communication agencies, inspiring solutions and boosting clients’ standards. Earlier this year, the agency hired a new Managing Director, Claire Dobbs, for their London operation and acquired Manchester-based digital agency Creative Lynx.

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About Havas Worldwide Health
Havas Worldwide Health is the umbrella company for Euro RSCG Life and Health 4 Brands, two wholly owned global health communications networks. With more than 60 offices in 50 countries, the Havas Worldwide Health network has a uniquely unified model with all disciplines—medical, strategy, promotion, managed markets, medical education, digital, DTP/DTC, advertising, and PR—inside one agency, with one P&L. This allows channel-agnostic solutions that are right for our clients’ brands without the traditional silos and intra-agency complexities. Havas Worldwide Health is the global health holding company within Havas (Euronext Paris: HAV.PA), a global advertising and communications services group headquartered in Paris.
For more information about Havas Worldwide Health, visit the company’s website at www.havashealth.com

Account Moves

August 30, 2012

  • The Guardian has appointed We Are Social to help promote its blogger outreach activity.
  • Bahlsen, the German biscuit-maker, has appointed Beattie McGuinness Bungay to work on a launch campaign for a new brand, whose name has yet to be announced.
  • Brittany Ferries has consolidated its £4.5 million advertising, digital and media business into Bray Leino.
  • JWT London has picked up the advertising account for the rice brand Tilda. The business was most recently handled by its sister WPP agency Ogilvy & Mather. However, Tilda started talks with other shops in November last year.

Reviews

August 30, 2012

  • Kraft Foods, the Swiss-based company, is set to review its estimated £200 million European media planning and buying arrangements, including the £39 million account held by PHD in the UK.
  • Tassimo, the coffee-maker brand, is looking for an agency to handle a major global advertising push.
  • Asda is holding a review of its £10 million digital media roster.
  • Douwe Egberts is seeking an agency for its £4 million UK above-the-line advertising account.
  • Center Parcs, the holiday brand, is looking for an agency to handle a brand strategy brief.
  • Jack Wills, the clothing brand, is on the hunt for an advertising agency as it moves to ramp up its marketing efforts.
  • Scottish Power is reviewing its digital account as it looks to consolidate the business into one agency.
  • Standard Life, the pensions and investments company, is reviewing its digital advertising account.
  • Gumtree.com, the classifieds website, is looking for an agency to handle its £3 million advertising account.

Industry

August 30, 2012

  • WPP has posted first half pre-tax profits of £357.7m and has confirmed it will move its headquarters back to the UK for tax purposes subject to shareholder approval.

People

August 29, 2012

  • Geoff Schiller, formerly national sales director for Hearst Digital Media, has been promoted to chief sales officer. As national sales director for HDM, which includes 28 websites and 14 mobile sites, Mr. Schiller helped drive revenue to record levels in 2010 and 2011, as well as to drive the entire division to profitability for the first time in its history in 2011.
  • Jonathan Adams has been named senior VP-media for North America at iCrossing. He joins the global digital-marketing agency, a Hearst unit, from Digitas, where he was most recently senior VP-director of global media. There he managed media activities for clients such as Delta Air Lines, Equifax, Mead Johnson and Post Cereals.