Havas APAC CEO Mike Amour exits as agency reorganises

Havas Group APAC CEO Mike Amour (pictured) will step down from his regional role and leave the company after a period of transition.

This comes as Havas decided to simplify the lines of its management system for its media and creative leadership teams, to be more directly connected to the local APAC markets teams.Havas’ spokesperson told Marketing that his role will not be directly replaced.

With this arrangement, Havas Group Greater China and Australia leadership teams will now report directly to Chris Hirst, global CEO Havas Creative, and Peter Mears, global CEO Havas Media in New York and London respectively.

Amour was elevated to APAC CEO in October 2017 after the agency consolidated its creative and media divisions. As APAC CEO, he was responsible for overseeing all of the Havas Group agencies in the region, including 79 offices in 17 countries, with over 2,400 people.

Amour commented: “It has been a privilege to help drive the Havas Village strategy across this complex region, and to see how that plus Vivendi’s world-class capabilities can make a real difference to our clients’ businesses. I wish Hirst and Mears continued success as they take Havas Group to new heights”.

Meanwhile, Vishnu Mohan, chairman and CEO of Havas Group India/Southeast Asia will remain in his current role. India will report to global media and creative leadership via Mohan.

According to Hirst and Mears, over the past couple of years, the agency has been strategically investing in the Asia Pacific region with a specific focus on key acquisitions and partnerships in China and India.

“We’ve also been working closely with Amour on how best to organise the region in terms of servicing our clients and fostering continued growth and innovation,” both said in a statement.

Hirst and Mears added: “On behalf of the Havas Group we would like to thank Amour for his contributions to the organisation over the past years and wish him every success for the future”.

Separately in July this year, Valerie Madon, chief creative officer Southeast Asia and chairwoman of Havas Group Singapore stepped down from her role. She first joined the agency in 2017 and was initially hired with the agency to take on the dual role of chief creative officer for Southeast Asia and creative lead for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) business for APAC. She was also responsible for the creative output of all Havas agencies in Southeast Asia.