CEO Andreas Vogiatzakis departs from Omnicom, joins Havas

Andreas Vogiatzakis, the long-standing CEO of Omnicom Media Group (OMG) Malaysia is set to take a top role at Havas Media Group in Malaysia.When contacted by A+M, OMG confirmed that after 10 years with Omnicom Media Group as its CEO for Malaysia, Andreas Vogiatzakis is leaving the agency.  He will remain with OMG until the end of July.Vogiatzakis is joining Havas Media Group as the CEO of its Malaysia ops. Havas Media Group started the ground work for a fully-owned Malaysia ops in May this year, and appointed Christine Chang as general manager and Roopal Julka as head of digital, in an aggressive growth push.The agency's current client roster for Malaysia include the likes of its global clients such as Ikea, Hyundai, Kia, Emirates, LG, AXA and Philips Lighting, and local clients such as Sunquick and Al Rajhi.Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media Group APAC said: "We are delighted to launch our fully owned operations in Malaysia under the leadership of a well-recognised media heavyweight Andres Vogiatzakis. Malaysia is a strategically important market for Havas Media Group in Southeast Asia and key to our ambition of strengthening our already robust operations in the region."Andreas appointment is part of the agency's strategy to "put the best talent in the market", he said."Andreas needs to no introduction either in Malaysia or in the region. He is widely acknowledged as a media visionary and an inspirational leader - he has turned around businesses, won multiple awards and is a talent magnet.  What impressed me most about him is his passion, energy and entrepreneurial spirit - which can not only rival a 25 year-old but is also very much in sync with the culture at Havas Media Group," Mohan added.On his departure, Jasmin Sohrabji, CEO Omnicom Media Group SEA & India, said: "Andreas has been a great contributor for our business, working across both OMD and PHD and ensuring the growth and stability of both the agencies in Malaysia. Our overall offering and value proposition in Malaysia is much stronger across all our brands, now. We are thankful for his leadership and wish him the best for his next challenge.”An announcement on his replacement will be made in the next couple of weeks and in the meantime agency management will rest with the senior management teams in Malaysia actively supported regionally, by Jasmin Sohrabji, CEO Omnicom Media Group SEA & India.Vogiatzakis was most recently named the president for the Media Specialists Association.He is 25 year veteran of the media industry with a career spanning several countries and continents. He has been working in Asia since 1997, and has served as CEO of Omnicom Media Group Malaysia since 2006 and as a Council Member of MSA since then.He has also held various leadership roles in the past having worked as managing director/CEO of Mindshare Group Taiwan (Mindshare, Maxus, Innovator, Chungi) and as managing director of Starcom MediaVest Group in Japan before joining OMG.