Havas Media has announced the appointment
of Ben Grace in the newly created role of chief technology officer. As
CTO, Grace will oversee product management and digital marketing
strategy for Havas Media.
Grace brings 15 years experience in
media and digital to his new role at Havas Media, where he will provide
research and development direction as well as evaluating market trends,
competitor strategies and future opportunities. Ben will be responsible
for managing Havas Media's market-leading suite of products.
Says James Zipeure, chief commercial officer for Havas Media Group
Australia: "I am very excited to have Ben join the team as Havas Media
continues to move from strength to strength. Ben brings deep experience
in leading and growing technology and digital businesses, and we're very
lucky to be able to harness his insights for our clients."
Says
Grace: "Havas Media has a fantastic footing within the industry and a
proven track record of delivering results. I'm keen to get stuck in
immediately and continue to grow the business in Australia over the next
few years."
Grace's experience spans a number of senior roles
in companies including Accuen, OMD and DGM. He most recently worked as
general manager of Video at Accuen in the US, where he was tasked to
build and run a new organisation to help accommodate the shift of
television dollars online. There, he worked on the first programmatic
upfront deal securing the largest ever digital dollar allocation to a
single entity in upfront history.
The announcement comes as
Havas Media continues to grow in Australia, continuing to expand its
business portfolio in just two short years since launching into the
local market at the end of 2013. Havas Media is now in its third year of
operation in Australia, and has rapidly expanded to a team of 55
working across a number of leading brands including QBE Insurance,
Emirates, LG Electronics and Jacobs Douwe Egberts media accounts.