AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND – Havas ANZ is strengthening the strategic foundations of its Village model, expanding the remit of Olly Taylor, and appointing him as Chief Strategy Officer for the Group. In the elevated role, Taylor will lead integrated strategy across Havas’ creative and media agencies, seamlessly bringing the full breadth of the Group’s strategic capability together across the region.
Taylor, who has spent more than a decade in senior leadership roles within Havas Australia, brings more than 25 years’ experience in brand and communications strategy. Widely regarded for his ability to blend creativity with commercial impact, he has shaped some of the region’s most influential work. His career includes campaigns that have earned top honours at major global awards shows and been recognised for both strategy and effectiveness, including APG and Effie Grand Prix awards.
A long-standing advocate for tackling one of the hardest challenges modern brands face – attention – Taylor says the expanded role reflects a pivotal shift in how strategy must operate. “Getting noticed is harder than it has ever been,” he said. “Most messages disappear instantly rendering the majority of them ineffectual and the real challenge is creating communication that captures attention and stays with people.”
Taylor said the opportunity to lead a fully integrated strategy function across the Group is both timely and uncommon. “Bringing the strategic strength of media and creative together, properly together, as one team is rare in this industry. But it’s what brands need today. And it’s completely aligned with our ambition to be Deliberately Different, not different for the sake of it, but different with intent, backed by ideas that challenge expectations and drive impact.”
The expanded remit supports the Group’s ‘Deliberately Different’ positioning, launched last year, which sets out Havas ANZ’s ambition to be the region’s most integrated and strategically intentional communications group. It reinforces the Havas Village model that blends the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of an indie with the scale, technology and resources of a global network – enabling teams to create bold, meaningful work that moves brands forward.
James Wright, Group CEO Havas ANZ, said: “Olly is one of the region’s most respected strategic thinkers, and he has been instrumental in shaping how we think and work across the Village. His expanded remit as CSO for Havas Group ANZ reflects both his influence and the strategic direction of our business.
He deeply understands the challenge marketers face in a landscape of sameness, and he’s uniquely equipped to unify media and creative strategy into one deliberate, cohesive system. This role strengthens our commitment to being the most integrated and deliberately different agency group in the region.”
Taylor’s expanded role comes as Havas Group ANZ continues to invest in integrated capability, AI-enabled strategy and cross-Village collaboration, supporting its ambition to set a new benchmark for strategic and creative effectiveness.
Havas ANZ agencies include Havas Host, Havas Media, Havas Red, Havas New Zealand, Havas Blvd, Havas PLAY, CSA, H/Advisors APA, Kaimera, One Green Bean, Organic Publicity, Frontier, Bastion Brands part of Havas Health & You and Pronto.
