Havas this week appointed Matt Houltham, currently group managing director of Havas Melbourne, as CEO of Havas Media Group across Australia and New Zealand, effective January 2020.
Houltham joined Havas in January 2016, after five years as managing director at Naked Communications, initially in Melbourne and latterly in New York. Prior to this, he spent five years as digital partner across Publicis agencies, Zenith Optimedia and Mojo.
Houltham will lead a team of more than 100 people across Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, as well as Havas Sport and Entertainment, overseeing its breadth of services across strategy, media planning and investment, performance marketing, content development, data consultancy and brand partnerships. He will also have a continuing role overseeing Havas Melbourne.
Mike Wilson, who was the founding CEO of Havas Media from November 2013, will assume the newly-created role of chairman, Havas Media Group. In this capacity, he will maintain an involvement with key clients, explore targeted M&A opportunities, maintain and develop key partnerships and explore further integration opportunities with Vivendi group companies including Universal Music Group, Studio Canal, Gameloft and Daily Motion.