Havas Group Australia has evolved its HR operations and grown its team to further focus on four key supporting pillars – flexibility, DE&I, mental health, and employee wellbeing and career development.
Enhanced HR operations include a senior promotion and multiple recent hires that bring additional capabilities and skillsets so there is additional support around retention and recruitment.
Vicki Bainbridge, who has spent the past seven years as One Green Bean/Red Havas Talent and HR manager, has been promoted to director of Human Resources, Havas ANZ, and will lead the growing HR team.
Bainbridge replaces former Havas Chief People Officer/HR and Talent director, Thierry Lalchere who has resigned to take up a new role.
In addition to Bainbridge promotion, the Havas HR team has been boosted with the appointment of two HR admins, Brittany Haskins and Yarra Harb, and talent executive Xanthia Gardner. Two more new HR hires are in the works, the recruitment underway for a Talent and HR manager and a second Talent executive.
Host/Havas CEO (on behalf of Havas Group Australia) Laura Aldington said: “The HR function is key to the success of the entire Havas Group, and we have the utmost confidence Vicki will do an exceptional job in these extraordinary times when expectations for agencies and employers are higher than ever.”
“We thank Thierry for her enormous contribution to the business over the past four years, including her instrumental role in launching a range of progressive HR offerings across the Group. We wish her every success in her new role.”
Bainbridge, who has worked in the industry for 24 years across PR account service, recruitment, and HR roles, said she was excited to guide the future direction of the fast-growing Havas HR department and continue its holistic people-first approach and innovative policies heritage.
“It is going to be an interesting 12 months for HR teams across the entire industry, with still increasing salaries and back to office hesitancy in what is clearly a talent market. The evolution of the Havas HR operations will ensure we remain at the forefront of a shifting industry by both continuing to innovate our offering and truly listening to our people’s needs – not assuming what they want,” she said.
“This is the industry’s tightest talent market in 16 years. During times like this, it is vital to reflect, reset and take care of the staff you have, to nurture and guide them forwards. That is the approach we take at Havas as we continue to build a truly inclusive environment with best-in-class benefits and training programs. Havas HR is proudly a cookie cutter free zone when it comes to people and policies,” Bainbridge added.
Havas leave policies include unlimited tenure based parental leave with no maximum on leave, pregnancy, fertility treatment, bereavement for miscarriage, adoption and surrogacy, domestic violence, and gender affirmation leave.
The latest addition to innovative Havas people initiatives is Hava-Listen, a Group-wide initiative designed to embrace and support staff passions and help them take their interests to the next level.
See also: Havas Group launches Hava-Listen to embrace and support staff passions
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Top image: Xanthia Gardner, Brittany Haskins, Vicki Bainbridge and Yarra Harb