Havas has launched POP Australia, its first Centre of Excellence in Asia-Pacific for its AI-powered global craft at scale network Prose on Pixels (POP) and has appointed Raoni Lima as head of creative technology.
The new Australian operation brings together traditional production craft with POP’s global technology and AI capabilities, including proprietary Gen-AI built Vermeer.ai and Havas’ AI-enabled approach Converged.AI – backed by a local team with three decades of experience across film and advertising.
Spanning traditional production, filming, editing, post-production, animation and VFX, POP Australia will also integrate AI-enabled creative workflows designed to expand what brands can achieve within existing production budgets and tighter time to market.
The launch comes as brands face increasing pressure to adapt creative work across audiences and markets without adding production complexity. Too often, strong creative ideas are scaled back because of time and budget constraints. POP Australia has been built to help brands deliver more relevant executions while preserving the integrity of the original idea, aligning with Havas ANZ’s “Deliberately Different” positioning launched in 2025.
Matt Hearn, managing pPartner of POP Australia, said the business had been built in response to a longstanding frustration within production: ambitious ideas being scaled back because of budget and time constraints.
“I’ve watched the best idea in the room lose to the budget more times than I can count. Trimmed down, made safe, sent out to everyone. That’s the thing we wanted to fix, so we built POP Australia to fix it. Real craft, and the AI chops to match, with a global network behind a team you can actually get in a room,” he said.
“The big machines make you fit the work to the system. We built it the other way round, closer and faster, by people who’ve spent their whole lives making the work. Because the best thing you can give a good idea is the time to stay good.”
The launch sees Lima join POP Australia as head of creative technology, bringing more than 20 years of experience across agencies, holding companies and studios in Brazil and Australia. Lima has previously worked across AI production initiatives within major holding companies and rejoins Havas after his last role with the group in 2020 to lead the integration of creative technology into POP Australia’s production model.
“Anyone can generate images and video. The real value comes from knowing which tools to use, when to use them and how to integrate them into the creative process to achieve better outcomes,” Lima said.
“Real change starts at the root, a complete redesign of the entire process from the ground up, and that is exactly the bet we are making with the POP model. The focus is not simply producing more content or accelerating production, but using the technology selectively to extend what is creatively and commercially achievable while keeping craft and intent in human hands.”
James Wright, group CEO of Havas ANZ, said: “POP Australia is exactly the kind of deliberately different move we’ve been building towards. The market keeps being told that scale is the answer, but scale alone has never been a guarantee of better work.
“Clients want agility, integrated capability and production that delivers real outcomes, and that’s what POP gives them: global craft and genuine AI capability, purpose-built and close to the work, backed by the full Village. It’s a significant investment in production for this region, and it’s how we keep playing and winning differently.”
POP Australia will operate as part of Havas Village ANZ, connecting its production capabilities led by Chavvah Stuart, head of creative innovation, with the wider creative, media and customer experience network.
Stuart said, “The goal isn’t volume, it’s relevance. It’s about smarter content that cuts through, connects, and lands when it matters. That is where craft and technology finally pull in the same direction,” she concluded.
