Havas eyes booming CX market with first global CEO

Havas has appointed former Wunderman and VMLY&R chief David Shulman as the first global chief executive of its customer experience network – which includes Havas CX Helia in the UK – to strengthen its position in the burgeoning market.

While Havas has a number of worldwide CX executives, including global chief data officer Ol Janus, global chief growth officer Pat Thistlethwaite, and global chief experience officer Dennis Urbaniak, it is the first time the group will have an overarching boss spearheading the discipline.

Shulman will be based in New York and lead the group that sits across 26 Havas Villages, in more than 19 countries around the world, with hubs in London, Paris, New York and Mumbai. The division has over 1,800 staff.

He began his career client side in brand strategy at Jaguar before switching to Digitas as managing director. Shulman then spent fours years as president of Wunderman and six years as CEO of Organic before joining VMLY&R in 2019 as chief experience officer.

He left VMLY&R at the beginning of this month when the merger with Wunderman Thompson became official and it rebranded VML.

Havas’ decision to create a new global CEO role comes on the back of a major expansion of the global CX market; the sector is growing at a rate of 11% year over year, according to Statistica. Meanwhile, this week’s IPA Bellwether Report has also signalled a resurgence in the discipline, which it still calls direct marketing.

Since 2020, Havas has been integrating and aligning the CX capabilities of its speciality agencies, including Havas CX Helia, based in the UK and US, BETC Fullsix, Think Design, Gate One and Project House among others.

Shulman has been briefed to restructure Havas CX so that the division operates as a network to create what the company calls “meaningful experiences”.

Havas chairman and global CEO Yannick Bolloré commented: “In today’s marketing landscape, CX has become intrinsic to business success. We are thrilled to welcome David to the Havas family. His leadership will further unify Havas’ existing brand partnerships and strengthen the network’s ability to better meet the business transformation needs of our clients.”

Shulman will report to Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Creative Network and Havas Health & You. She said: “We’ve seen great momentum across our global client portfolio since aligning our CX agencies. With David at the helm of this new network, we’ll deliver increased brand value with even more meaningful experiences. David’s extensive digital transformation and strategy experience, both in and outside of the agency world, make him an ideal leader for this critical role.”

Shulman added: “Customers are holding brands accountable to deliver on the promises they communicate. Havas’ strength in creative, health, and media, matched with a powerful CX network, creates a unique formula to deliver meaningful experiences that help brands differentiate and win. I am thrilled to join such an outstanding team to drive growth for our agencies and the brands we serve.”

Shulman will work with Janus, Thistlethwaite, and Urbaniak, as well as with established CX leaders across the network.

In the UK, Havas overhauled the top team of its two UK customer experience agencies late last year. David MacMillan was named CEO of Havas CX Helia and Dominique Bergantino was appointed CEO of digital experience agency Inviqa.

Both MacMillan and Bergantino were promoted from within; the pair previously shared the title of managing director of Havas CX Helia – a role in which MacMillan led the agency’s Cirencester office and Bergantino its office within Havas Village London in King’s Cross.

Their former boss, Havas Creative group CEO Xavier Rees, quit the agency group in the first week of January to lead AMV Group. A successor has yet to be revealed.