Havas ANZ Expands Chief Strategy Officer Role Across Creative and Media
Havas ANZ promotes Olly Taylor to expanded Chief Strategy Officer role unifying creative and media strategy. Move strengthens integrated Village model positioning across Australia and New Zealand.
Havas Group ANZ has promoted Olly Taylor to an expanded Chief Strategy Officer role, extending his remit across the group's creative and media agencies to strengthen integrated strategy under its Village model.
Unified Strategy Leadership Across Creative and Media
Taylor will lead integrated strategy across Havas' creative and media agencies in the Australia and New Zealand region, aligning strategic capabilities under one leadership structure. The appointment supports Havas ANZ's 'Deliberately Different' positioning launched last year, which establishes the group's ambition to become the region's most integrated and strategically intentional communications group.
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Taylor brings more than 25 years of experience in brand and communications strategy to the expanded role. He has spent more than a decade in senior leadership positions within Havas Australia, leading campaigns that have earned top honors at major global awards shows including APG and Effie Grand Prix awards for strategy and effectiveness.
"Getting noticed is harder than it has ever been," Taylor 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."
James Wright, Group CEO of Havas ANZ, described Taylor as one of the region's most respected strategic thinkers. "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," Wright said. "His expanded remit as CSO for Havas Group ANZ reflects both his influence and the strategic direction of our business."
Regional Integration Drives Holding Group Restructuring
The appointment reflects broader organizational changes across Havas Group Asia Pacific in 2025 and 2026. The holding group has pursued multiple strategic leadership developments across Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Australia as part of coordinated regional integration efforts.
Rana Barua, Group CEO for India, Southeast, and North Asia at Havas, has emphasized a One Asia strategy focused on intelligence-led creativity and full-funnel convergence for 2026. This strategic framework coordinates leadership developments across multiple markets, with emphasis on digital transformation and client-focused models.
Recent appointments include Bowie Tiong promoted to general manager at Havas Malaysia in January 2026, Jean Lee appointed managing director at Havas Media Network Singapore, and Kenny Yap elevated to CEO Havas Play Singapore in April 2025 after leading Havas Red Singapore since 2017.
Village Model Addresses Fragmented Communications Landscape
The expanded CSO role represents a shift from Taylor's previous position as inaugural CSO at Havas Creative Group Australia to a group-wide remit aligning strategy across all ANZ operations. The move addresses what Havas describes as an increasingly fragmented communications landscape where attention scarcity and marketing complexity demand more deliberate, cohesive systems.
Havas ANZ's Village model combines independent agency agility with global network scale, enabling integrated strategy across creative and media agencies including Havas Host, Havas Media, and Havas Red. The organizational structure aims to deliver more strategically sound solutions by unifying capabilities under experienced leadership.
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