Havas New York has brought Marcelo Ramirez and Bharat Kumar on board as executive creative directors from Johannes Leonardo, and Melissa Tifrere as head of integrated production. Most recently Tifrere served as an independent executive producer leading productions for such shops as BBDO, JOAN, Translation and 72andSunny.
Ramirez, Kumar and Tifrere mark the first hires by chief creative officer Dan Lucey, who took Havas New York’s creative helm in December 2020.
Prior to Johannes Leonardo, Ramirez and Kumar were VP, creative directors at Momentum WW. Over their combined 30 years in advertising, they’ve worked together across a wide range of categories including CPG, beer/spirits, automotive, fashion and sports, and on brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, American Express, Kraft-Heinz and others. For much of that work, including the notable “Church of Hoops” for Nike, Ramirez and Kumar have been recognized at the industry’s top award shows, including Cannes Lions–where they won two Grand Prix awards–D&AD, The One Show, Clios and The ANDYs.
Tifrere has been producing for the last 14 years. She brings a modern take on production with a keen eye for visual storytelling, and has worked at many of the leading creative shops in the industry–large and small. Tifrere has delivered work for Microsoft, BMW, AT&T, Foot Locker, PepsiCo, Reebok, Chase, Marriott, Verizon, Crayola, Sharp, Chevron, United Airlines, Goldman Sachs and USPS. As senior producer at m:united/McCann, she oversaw the entire production process from beginning to end for the Microsoft account. Prior to McCann, Tifrere was lead producer on BMW at KBS.
“My priority,” said Lucey, “is to build one of the most inclusive, collaborative creative departments in the industry with only the best talent that love what they do; it’s that simple. Marcelo and Bharat’s work consistently raises the bar in terms of how it has influenced culture and changed society for the better—all while still selling products. They understand that brand actions speak louder than ads. Melissa, who I’ve worked with before, is one of the most dynamic producers in the business. She can effortlessly tackle large scale productions and also has the agility for fast-moving quick turns.”
