James Wright.
Havas Group ANZ has unveiled a new positioning, Deliberately Different, a platform that reinforces its holding company offering as a village of agencies with the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of an independent.
At the same time, the local company has appointed a chief AI officer, Alastair Baker, and a group chief growth and marketing officer, Richard Clarke.
The positioning is designed to resonate with brands operating in a sea of marketing sameness where being noticed and driving growth are harder to achieve.
"When difference is deliberate, it doesn't just get noticed, it moves brands forward, unlocks growth and builds meaningful connections that last," said Havas Group Australia and New Zealand CEO James Wright.
"Havas Australia and New Zealand are different by design. With a challenger mindset and diverse, driven talent, we are purpose-built to stand out and make a disproportionate difference for clients."
The positioning signals Havas Group ANZ's ambition to set a new industry benchmark as the region's most deliberately different holding company.
The platform also challenges the notion that marketers have an either-or choice between independent agility or holding company scale and resourcing.
"Our culture and model present marketers with a deliberately different way, one that delivers the benefits of indies and holding companies, without the tradeoffs and pain points," Wright said.
"Agility and access to scale and global resources aren't mutually exclusive in the Havas Village. You can have agility and stability. You can have the resources without the rigidity."
Coinciding with the positioning launch, Havas has announced two senior leadership appointments, both promotions.
Alastair Baker, previously chief planning officer at Havas Media Network Australia, takes on the newly created role of chief AI officer for Havas ANZ.
He will lead AI strategy, execution and governance across ANZ village agencies, leveraging the network's global scale and AI investment to deliver localised strategies that drive internal efficiency, generate client business value and unlock new revenue opportunities.
Baker joined the business in 2021 as Havas Media Australia head of strategy.
His 16-year career also includes senior strategy and planning roles working across media, creative and digital agencies including Dentsu X and Vizeum in the UK and Dentsu's iProspect in Melbourne.
Richard Clarke, formerly chief growth and client officer at Havas Creative Network Australia, becomes group chief growth and marketing officer for Havas ANZ.
Under his extended remit, Clarke will continue to partner closely with Wright and the leadership team to drive strategic growth priorities, operational alignment and marketing initiatives that strengthen the Havas Village brand.
He will oversee integrated marketing and communications strategies to elevate the network's profile through thought leadership, PR, events and industry partnerships.
A creative strategy and operations leader with 20 years' experience across agency and in-house teams, Clarke joined the Australian business in 2024 from his London-based role as managing director of Havas Red UK.
"Alastair and Richard are proven leaders who will be instrumental in delivering the power of our positioning across the business," Wright said.
"Alastair's appointment as AI Village lead is a further investment in our capabilities that gives us critical local agility at a time when AI is evolving too quickly for a global-only approach."
The new positioning comes after the recent announcement that Kate O'Ryan-Roeder will be joining the Havas Village ANZ as CEO of Havas Media Network in January 2026.
Havas ANZ agencies include Havas Host, Havas Media, Havas Red, Havas New Zealand, Havas Blvd, Havas PLAY, CSA, H/Advisors APA, One Green Bean, Organic Publicity, Frontier, Bastion Brands part of Havas Health & You and Pronto.
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