Havas repositions itself with Nathalie Diethelm as CEO
In the context of the fluid boundaries between media and creation, Havas is repositioning itself in Switzerland. Havas Media and Havas Creative will work under one roof in the future. The previous CEO Frank Bodin is leaving the agency, and Nathalie Diethelm is taking over the post. Reto Schild becomes CCO.
According to the press release, a Havas Village will be created in Zurich and Geneva, where the various communication disciplines will be offered from a single source. The overall management of the two Havas Villages in Zurich and Geneva will be taken over by CEO Nathalie Diethelm. Reto Schild joins the management team as CCO and will continue to promote the topics of content and storytelling in this role. "Combining creation with media brings new ideas to a demanding market that demands integrated solutions. In this way, we create a new, comprehensive approach that is profitable for both employees and our clients," says Reto Schild, who clearly sees himself as a team player in his new role. Damien Fournier will continue to head the agency in Geneva.
Frank Bodin, former CEO and Chairman of Havas Creative Group, is leaving the agency at his own request (Advertising Week reported) - during the month of May. The core teams of Havas Media and Havas Creative will remain in place. However, the specialists from the different disciplines will work more closely together due to the physical proximity.
The teams from Havas Creative are already moving into the newly designed offices at Morgartenstrasse 6 in Zurich's Kreis 4 in mid-April, with Havas Media following a few weeks later. "Even before the actual move, a positive mood of optimism can be felt," emphasizes Village CEO Nathalie Diethelm. "Both the media and creative teams are looking forward to a creatively collaborative future in a modern, inspiring work environment." The Village in Western Switzerland will also be complete at the beginning of June, following the relocation of the Media crew from Neuchâtel to Geneva.
With the establishment of the Villages, Havas is underlining its development into an integrated communications network that, according to its own statements, offers innovative, data-driven communications solutions that focus on content and communicative added value. The collaboration of the interdisciplinary teams in the Havas Village allows synergies between media and creative to be exploited and strategies to be developed that take into account not only paid, but also owned, shared and earned media. Havas can also draw on the international resources of the Vivendi Group, which includes attractive brands such as Canal+, Studio Canal, Gameloft and Universal Music.
