AD Agencies
Havas snaps up Kaimera in down under power play
SYDNEY: Havas is taking no prisoners in Australia and New Zealand. The Parisian advertising leviathan announced yesterday it has gobbled up Kaimera, a 50-strong independent media agency that has made its name untangling the Gordian knot of modern marketing. The deal marks Havas’s latest salvo in a deliberate campaign to dominate the antipodes—and it is not mincing words about it.
Founded in 2016, Kaimera has punched well above its weight, nabbing clients like Nando’s, Afterpay and BritBox whilst building outposts in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. Now it will operate as “Kaimera, a Havas Company”—a branding choice that suggests the parent firm is keen to preserve the scrappy entrepreneurial spirit that made the acquisition appetising in the first place.
The marriage makes strategic sense. Havas gets instant scale and specialist nous in a market it is desperate to crack. Kaimera gets the deep pockets and technological firepower of a global network that employs 23,000 people across 100 markets. The agency’s founders, Nick Behr and Trent McMillan, will report to James Wright, group chief executive of Havas ANZ, whilst staying put in their current digs in Surry Hills and South Melbourne—at least initially.
The real prize, though, is Converged.AI, Havas’s grandly named data-and-algorithms strategy that promises to fuse creativity, media and technology into one almighty offering. Kaimera’s integration is meant to accelerate the rollout of this operating system, giving clients “real-time, optimised, and personalised marketing solutions at scale.” Whether that is marketing waffle or genuine transformation remains to be seen.
The acquisition swells Havas ANZ’s headcount past 450 and comes hot on the heels of the network’s new “deliberately different” positioning—a cheeky pitch that it combines indie agility with big-network muscle. Havas’s chairman and chief executive Yannick Bolloré, called the deal proof of the group’s “very clear ambitions” in the region.
Behr, for his part, struck an optimistic tone. “We need to stay future-focused for our clients and our people, and Havas is the perfect partner for this next chapter,” he said. Translation: we have taken the money and are betting the corporate machinery will not crush what made us special.
If Havas can pull this off without smothering Kaimera’s maverick culture, it will have pulled off a rare trick in the graveyard of independent agencies swallowed by holding companies. If not, well, at least the founders will have a nice exit
AD Agencies
Havas Media Network India names Archana Aggarwal chief growth officer
The appointment comes as the network accelerates its integrated, data-led push across one of its top ten global markets.
MUMBAI: Havas Media Network India is moving fast, and it wants someone who can move faster.
The network has appointed Archana Aggarwal as chief growth officer, tasking her with driving the new business agenda and deepening client partnerships across Havas Media, PivotRoots, Havas Play and Arena Media. Based in Gurugram, she will report to Mohit Joshi, chief executive of Havas Media Network India.
Aggarwal arrives with more than two decades of media and marketing experience, most recently as vice-president of media at Airtel, where she led integrated media strategies tied to shifting consumer behaviour and business outcomes. Before that, she worked across some of the world’s most demanding marketing accounts, including P&G, Unilever, L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, the Diamond Trading Corporation and Airtel, spanning FMCG, telecom and the broader marketing ecosystem. She is noted for her command of emerging platforms, including connected TV, AI and the metaverse.
Rana Barua, group chief executive of Havas India, South-East Asia and North Asia, framed the hire as timely. “India continues to be a critical market for Havas globally and is among our top ten markets worldwide,” he said, noting strong momentum across the network’s integrated model and growing client partnerships. “Archana’s appointment comes at a pivotal time as we continue to scale our capabilities and accelerate growth.”
Joshi was equally direct. “Her deep understanding of consumer behaviour and proven ability to translate insights into business outcomes will be instrumental as we continue to scale our integrated, data-led capabilities across agencies,” he said.
Havas Media Network India currently serves more than 100 clients and employs over 1,000 professionals across Gurugram, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The network’s growth engine runs on Converged.AI, its proprietary operating system that brings together data, technology and human insight under the global vision of “Growth Powered by Desire.”
Aggarwal, for her part, called the opportunity compelling. “The chance to drive growth across a diverse and integrated ecosystem is exciting,” she said. “I look forward to working with the teams to deliver meaningful impact for clients.”
In a market where media fragmentation is accelerating and clients are demanding cleaner proof of return, Havas has hired someone who has sat on both sides of the table. That, in itself, is a statement of intent.
