SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – In a significant leadership transition for the Havas Group in Australia and New Zealand, Virginia Hyland has stepped down as CEO of Havas Media Network ANZ, marking the end of a transformative chapter that began with the acquisition of her independent agency, Hyland Media, in 2020.
With the successful completion of the buy-out period, Hyland departs after reshaping Havas Media ANZ into one of the region’s most ambitious and high-performing media networks. James Wright, CEO of Havas Creative Network ANZ, will now take the reins as Havas Group CEO ANZ, effective immediately. Wright will also retain his global responsibilities as Global CEO of Havas Red and Global Chair of the Havas PR Network.
Hyland, a highly respected leader in the media industry and current Deputy Chair of the Media Federation of Australia, has overseen a remarkable growth period for Havas Media. Under her leadership, the agency secured key business wins with clients such as Red Bull, Perfetti, Uniting, Tourism Fiji and Retail Food Group. Her strategic vision helped drive integration across the Havas Village model, fostering a truly converged and collaborative offering.
Hyland also launched new capabilities with the successful debut of Havas PLAY and CSA (Data, Tech & Analytics), and played a pivotal role in expanding the network’s Melbourne presence through the 2024 acquisition of creative tech agency Hotglue.
Reflecting on her journey, Hyland said: “I want to thank Havas for welcoming Hyland Media and our clients into the fold. It’s been a privilege to work alongside so many creative, driven, and talented people across the local and global network. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. To my teammates—thank you for believing in our shared vision as a challenger agency to Dare to be Different. To our valued clients—I wish you continued success as you navigate the exciting future of data, tech, and AI. It has been my personal pleasure to be part of your journey, some for as long as 25 years.”
James Wright assumes his expanded role following a strong return to the Australian market in 2023. Since then, he has overseen significant growth across Havas Creative, public affairs, health communications and PR. His appointment signals Havas’ ambition to deepen its converged model and further accelerate cross-network collaboration.
Wright said: “I want to thank Virginia for an amazing few years of success in the Media Group and wish her every success in the future. Going forward we are strongly committed to driving our pioneering integration as a Group with many bold ambitions to maximise our talents, technology and data smarts that supercharge our teams and clients’ brands. To support this we have a number of significant investments and moves planned to help us play and win differently as the challenger HoldCo in market.”
