Havas London appoints Higgins as chief creative officer

Havas London has appointed Seamus Higgins – a multi-award winner with over 25 years’ experience across three continents and multiple disciplines – to lead its creative department as chief creative officer.

Higgins, who will start later this month, succeeds Vicky Maguire who stepped down in September 2025 after five years in the role.

Reporting to CEO Holly Ripper, Higgins will focus on leveraging the agency’s “village model”.

He joins from AKQA London, where he has been executive creative director since August last year. This is his second spell with the Havas group; Higgins previously spent six years at Host/Havas Australia and held leadership positions at R/GA. He has also freelanced at agencies including Uncommon Creative Studio, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Lowe.

Higgins has accumulated a significant collection of industry accolades, including ten D&AD Pencils, and three Cannes Lions Grands Prix.

His best known campaign, which involved changing the immigration laws of Palau to protect the environment, was named the world’s most awarded campaign in 2018 and received the D&AD Design Black Pencil of the Decade.

His portfolio includes work for British Airways, B&Q, Sony, and Timberland.

Ripper said: “Seamus is a creative unicorn and an ambitious and generous leader. His diverse background spans big brand thinking, digital, design, social and innovation and his eclectic, unignorable body of work is testament to this. Importantly, this is work that works – as reinforced by the pile of creative and effectiveness awards he’s accumulated along the way. He comes highly-rated by peers and colleagues alike.

“Ours felt a meeting of minds of what a progressive, modern creative agency should look like – Seamus knows first-hand what Havas at its entrepreneurial best can do, and how to unlock the power and potential of the Village model. I said Havas had the potential to be a little bit dangerous when I started and I am so excited to welcome him into that mission as our new chief creative officer.”

Higgins added: “Holly has a clear and bold vision for the next era of Havas London. I feel privileged and incredibly excited to help bring that to life with the team. The remit is clear and the opportunity is huge. I’ve long believed in the power of the Havas Village model, and I’m excited to put that to work in London. When you bring the right people together behind a shared ambition, incredible things can happen.”