Havas Creative has made three key appointments to its senior leadership team to further expand its global capabilities and to boost integrated, cross-market growth.
Global chief marketing officer Tracey Barber is promoted to global chief transformation and growth officer, and managing partner, global brands Tamara Greene is promoted to managing director, global brands–both new roles–while former MRM SVP, director of global communications Jocelyn Weiss has been appointed global chief communications officer. They represent the first major leadership appointments by Havas Creative global CEO Donna Murphy since she was promoted to the role in July 2022.
These appointments underline Havas Creative’s focus on further international transformation and follow a number of global, multi-market new business wins including Samsung’s HARMAN International, spanning brands such as JBL and Harman Kardon; Randstad; and JLL.
Murphy said, “Havas’ ‘Village’ model is the most integrated in the business – and these appointments will bring these local centres of excellence, which focus on collaboration, not competition, together on a genuinely joined-up, at-scale, global level.”
Barber has spent the past three years as Havas Creative’s global chief marketing officer, driving year-on-year growth across the network through her leadership of new business, marketing, and internal and external communications. She will retain responsibility for all these disciplines, while additionally taking responsibility for bringing new products and services to market, and curating a seamless, cross-discipline, best-in-class experience for Havas’ clients. Based out of the U.K. and reporting into Murphy, Barber will continue to work closely with all regional and key market CEOs, as well as Havas Media Group and Havas Health & You on group-wide growth opportunities.
Greene has been with Havas Creative since 2009, most recently as managing partner, global brands, and has led global initiatives for Havas’ substantial Reckitt account for more than seven years. She has also been instrumental in driving key global new business wins such as Randstad, which saw the world’s largest recruitment agency name Havas its first global creative agency of record, and Samsung-owned HARMAN International, with Havas named global agency of record, spanning brand strategy, creative, content, media and production across all its brands (both in 2022). In her new role as managing director, global brands, Greene will work closely with Havas’ agency leaders across the globe to ensure excellence in global client delivery and to boost further integrated, international client growth.
Weiss joins Havas from MRM, where she held the role of SVP, director of global communications. A seasoned corporate communications and PR specialist, her career spans agencies including JWT [now Wunderman Thompson] (director of global communications) and BBDO (VP, director corporate communications North America), as well as a stint at PR company DiGennaro Communications (SVP). As global chief communications officer, she will report to Barber and oversee Havas Creative’s communications strategy–working in close collaboration with its global new business and marketing team to help strengthen the reputation and perception of Havas Creative globally, and with local market teams to ensure the business’ key messaging is supported and amplified as widely and as coherently as possible. She will be based out of New York.
The appointments follow the recent promotion of Shazzia Khan to global chief talent and innovation officer (from chief of staff and chief talent officer, Havas Health & You), and Claire Telling to global chief people experience officer (from chief people officer, Havas Creative North America)–with both roles spanning Havas Creative and Havas Health & You under the leadership of Murphy. These new, integrated roles will help deliver a people-centric experience for both Havas’ existing and potential employees and clients alike.
