Havas Media has appointed Kate O’Ryan-Roeder as its new CEO.
O’Ryan-Roeder has been MD of Mindshare’s Sydney office for the last seven years.
O’Ryan-Roeder joined Mindshare back in 2007, spending eight years in its London office, becoming global managing partner before returning to Sydney as its chief client officer in 2015.
During her time at Mindshare Sydney, she led a team of nearly 150, oversaw a bespoke agency for LVMH, and helped secure major new business including the recent win of MG.
Havas said O’Ryan-Roeder’s appointment followed an extensive search and she will be responsible for leading the agency’s national operations in ANZ, with a “firm focus” on further growth and investment in the region for media, enhancing AI, tech and data capabilities.
She will also be charged with fostering deep integrations across the broader Havas Village, which brings together creative, media, PR and publicity, public affairs and health. She will report to James Wright, group CEO Havas ANZ, global CEO Havas Red and global chair, Havas PR Network.
Wright said: “We were very humbled by the huge interest we had in the Havas Media CEO role and got to meet some incredibly talented candidates. Kate stood out from the get-go with a wonderful blend of smarts, savviness and strong client and people skills. We are about to embark on a very exciting period of investment and transformation at Havas ANZ that will further showcase our difference in the market and Kate leading the Havas Media Network is going to be a huge driver of this. I look forward to working with her and the leadership group to fulfill our ambitious plans.”
“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Havas team come January. What truly inspired and resonated with me was the sense of shared values and purpose and I’m excited by the unique Village approach – it’s a powerful way to deliver exceptional results for clients and cultivate a truly collaborative and supportive environment for our people. The vision for ANZ that James and Havas has in the next years’ is bold and transformative, and something I wanted to be a big part of,” said O’Ryan-Roeder.
Global CEO of Havas Media, Peter Mears, said: “We are delighted to have someone of the quality and strengths of Kate join the Havas family. Australia and New Zealand are important markets for us, and we have big plans to further scale and strengthen our offerings in the coming months and years. With Kate’s strong track record of managing teams that grow and succeed we are looking forward to her working with James and the leadership to take us to new levels.”
O’Ryan-Roeder will begin at Havas in January 2026.
Mindshare’s Australia and New Zealand CEO, Maria Grivas, said she was “sad” to see O’Ryan-Roeder leave but wished her all the best.
“Kate has made a meaningful impact at Mindshare, both in Sydney and globally. Her thoughtful leadership, care for clients and commitment to culture have helped shape who we are today. While we’re sad to see her leave Mindshare, her heartfelt congratulations go to her as she steps into this exciting new chapter as a CEO and we wish her every success,” said Grivas.
Top order changes
O’Ryan-Roeder replaces Virginia Hyland as Havas Media CEO. Hyland left the French holdco in July under a cloud and in the midst of a lawsuit. In a case handled outside court, Hyland alleged a breach of workplace rights under the Fair Work Act’s General Protections provisions.
Hyland joined Havas in 2020 after her independent agency, Hyland Media, was acquired.
She quickly rose to lead the network’s media arm, taking over from then-CEO Matt Houltham. During her tenure, she helped integrate the business with global strategy, including the acquisition of Melbourne indie agency HotGlue last year.
