Havas Group ANZ has announced a planned leadership transition at health communications agency, Bastion Brands, which was founded in 2012 by Simon Davies.
Bastion Brands Executive Director Dan King has been elevated to the role of Managing Director. Davies has made the decision to step away from the Australian business at the end of June to spend time with family overseas, after which he will support Havas Health projects in Europe.
Fourteen years after launching Bastion Brands, Simon Davies leaves the agency in a strong position having built a specialist health team that partners with top pharma and health companies that include Danone, Sanofi, GSK and CSL. He has grown a talented team in Melbourne and Sydney, and in November 2022 helped guide the agency’s acquisition by Havas. Bastion Brands supports clients across Australia, as well as partnering with the Havas Health Network to deliver global and regional work.
Bastion Brands has delivered sustained growth as part of Havas, achieving over 17% growth in 2025 and contributing to Havas Group ANZ’s most successful year on record, coinciding with the launch of its bold new positioning, “Deliberately Different”.
As Managing Director, Dan will lead Bastion Brands’ Melbourne and Sydney offices. He joined the agency in 2019 and has worked across Australian and global clients, on complex commercial and communications programs for medical, pharmaceutical and life science businesses. During the transition over the coming months, Davies and King will work closely together to ensure continuity for clients and the team.
Dan’s focus is to continue the agency’s momentum through innovation, specialist capability and collaboration across Havas, and in close collaboration with our clients locally and internationally.
“Bastion Brands has always stood for work that respects science and moves people to act”, said Bastion Brands Founder and CEO Simon Davies.
“I am incredibly proud of what this team has built with our clients since 2012. Thank you to our people and our partners for the trust and the results we achieved together. The business is performing strongly, and the acquisition has been a huge success, we are now fully integrated within Havas, this is the right moment to pass the baton. Dan knows our clients, our people and our craft. The agency is in great hands. I want to thank the Havas leadership of James Wright, Donna Murphy and Charles Houdoux for their incredible support, partnership and valued counsel.”
Havas Group ANZ CEO James Wright shared, “Simon leaves a legacy at Bastion Brands and within Havas ANZ. He helped create a specialist agency that pairs scientific depth with powerful creativity to drive outcomes for clients. Simon is a great friend, and I want to thank him for the enduring impact he has made. Equally I want to celebrate Dan’s promotion, he has been central to the agency’s continued growth. His leadership through the transition will ensure continuity for clients and set the pace for what comes next. We hope to welcome Simon back into the Havas ANZ fold when he returns from Europe in late 2027.”
“I am excited to lead Bastion Brands into its next chapter”, added Dan, newly appointed Managing Director of Bastion Brands.
“Our promise remains the same. We connect science with human insight to deliver work that moves people to act. We will keep investing in specialist capability, including an AI enabled and data fluent team that helps clients move faster and make smarter decisions. Within the Havas ecosystem we are applying responsible, privacy safe AI to insight mining, medical content workflows and performance optimisation. Clients can expect the same team, the same commitment and even more momentum.”
