MAM
Havas Group merging creative & media under one P&L
MUMBAI: Havas Group has announced another step in its together strategy to accelerate integration by further breaking down silos and moving to a client-centric and region-based organization.
The Group’s two divisions, Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group, will no longer exist. The creative and media businesses, alongside the healthcare and wellness business, willbecomesimply business units, under one regional P&L, to ensure agility and a seamless experience for clients.
And to ensure the most relevant organization in a client-centric model across media and creative, Dominique Delport is appointed as Global managing director and chief client officer for the Havas Group,where he will oversee global clients relationships, marketing initiatives and new business.
These moves are the result of the successful implementation, at the end of 2016, of a centralized management of our four largest markets,where chairmen were appointed at the group level: Chris Hirst for the UK, Alfonso Rodés for Spain and Yannick Bolloré for France and North America. The Group is now adding two new chairmen roles to optimize its structure and offering in Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Presently, Havas Media Group Latin America CEO Jorge Percovich has been appointed as the CEO of Havas LATAM Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 65 offices in 19 countries,with+3,000 people.
Havas Creative Group APAC CEO Mike Amour has been appointed as the CEO of Havas APAC Group across the creative and media businesses. He will be responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region: 79 offices in 17 countries, with+2,400people.
Delport said, “For four years now, the #togetherstrategy and the opening of our 47 Havas villages has transformed the wework and serve our clients. Now it’s all about extending Yannick’s vision and reinventing our industry by creating new standards, new offers and new services that blend the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability. Havas wants to beat the forefront of this transformation by putting the power of content and data at the core of our activities. It’s an exciting challenge.Being agile and having a challenger mindest doesn’t prevent us from having big ambitions for our Group, our people and our Clients.”
Bolloré mentioned, “As the world moves faster and grows more complex, we believe we need to transcend the traditional definition of “creative” and “media” to better deliver for our clients.The appointments of Dominique, Jorge and Mike will ensure we create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins. They will enable us to better share talent and resources on behalf of our clients, as well as create cross-channel learning and development opportunities for our people.”
APAC implications:
In Asia Pacific, there will be two additional executive appointments. Currently Havas Media Group APAC CEO Vishnu Mohan will become CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia, responsible for all media and creative group agencies across those markets. Levent Guenes, currently CEO Havas Creative Group South East Asia, will become Chief Growth Officer, Havas Group APAC, with a primary focus on driving new ventures, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. Both Mohan and Guenes will report to Mike Amour.
Amour said, “I am honoured and excited that Yannick Bolloré has asked me to help lead the next stage of our ‘Together’ strategy in Asia Pacific. The Havas Village model drives a clear, progressive view on the future of our industry, which is that Creativity is the product of radical collaboration. It’s very important that our Village strategy optimises our structure and offerings to create the most modern approach to developing solutions, regardless of where the thinking begins”.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
