When Kate O’Ryan-Roeder walked into Havas Village for the first time as CEO of Havas Media Australia, she wasn’t chasing a bigger title—”that’s not what I’m about”—but a new challenge to work in an agency that offers something ‘Deliberately Different’.
In her first interview since becoming Havas Media chief executive this year, O’Ryan-Roeder said that she embraced the “nervousness” of stepping up to an agency hotseat at a time of much upheaval, consolidation and disruption across the industry.
“With any move there was always naturally going to be a bit of nervousness, because otherwise it probably means you’re not stretching yourself,” she told B&T at Havas HQ in the old Bushell’s Building in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.
“Being comfortable is something I never want to be comfortable at being. I’d be concerned if I had stayed in a role at Mindshare because I was comfortable…I want to continuously learn and stretch myself.”
After spending her formative years inside the WPP machine, nearly 20 of those rising through the ranks of Mindshare in Australia and the UK, O’Ryan-Roeder was searching for a business with “a broader aperture”, and a model that extended beyond traditional media agency holding company structures.
“Both groups have strong, broad capabilities. The more meaningful distinction is in how those capabilities are connected,” she said.
“At Havas, our model and scale are designed for tighter day-to-day interconnectedness across disciplines, which changes how seamlessly teams work together and how clients experience that integration.
“Also Havas sits in a very different position to the rest of the industry. We believe that in our ‘Deliberately Different; proposition, we’ve got the speed and agility of the indies, and the backing of the infrastructure and the technology and the smarts of the big global networks.
O’Ryan-Roeder presides over a 120 staff and clients including Emirates, Contiki, Puma, Red Bull, Perfetti, Bulla, Vinarchy and more. Havas Media sits within the Havas Village which numbers around 600, which comprises agencies in media (Havas Media and Kainera) advertising (Havas Host), PR (Red Havas and One Green Bean), public affairs (H/Advisors), health communications, digital and more.
She describes the Havas Village as being more interconnected across the sum of its parts than large holding company rivals.
An example of this is that the group’s strategists sit within a centralised strategy hub rather than operating within siloed agencies.
This means, for example, that media or creative strategists could be brought into a PR pitch. A similarly centralised approach takes place in AI, technology and production.
“The company has acquired like-minded brands to come into the business is a very thoughtful, considered process, and you can feel that in the fabric of the organisation,” she said, while confirming that its major acquisition, Kaimera, would continue to operate separately and alongside the Havas Media agency.
“We’re not in the game of consolidation, homogenisation and a race to the bottom line in terms of efficiencies. We’re also not independent and have got the tools, tech and the infrastructure and the backing of a global organisation.
“When we talk to clients about an integrated approach to advertising, media or PR, they just want frictionless great work and great ideas that are going to help them get a seat at the board table.”
O’Ryan-Roeder takes the helm of a business that had a challenging 2025. Long-serving leader Virginia Hyland left the business mid-year after, and a year earlier the agency lost one of its largest clients, Hyundai Motors, which consolidated media planning and buying under Innocean, which also handles its creative.
Last year, Havas picked up the Chinese carmaker Geely (a one-year contract that it recently lost to Bastion), while adding Emirates Airlines, Tourism Fiji and The Travel Corporation, among others.
The Havas Village in Australia has had its strongest year, according to Havas Group ANZ chief executive James Wright, who believes that Havas Media is now in a strong position to grow with a new proposition that is getting strong traction in market.
“There’s definitely an appetite to learn, you know, more about Havas again, you know, and I think when you launch a new positioning it creates a bit of intrigue,” he said.
“People are coming to the consultants and are asking them not to include certain groups because they don’t know what they’re going to get. While everyone is cutting and consolidating, we’re trying to invest and grow, and so we are attracting more clients who are desperate for a new idea and fresh thinking. We’ve never had a busier start to the year.”
Wright reiterated that O’Ryan-Roeder was the ideal fit to lead Havas Media culturally, and through her vast experience and capabilities.
O’Ryan-Roeder said her three year plan involves “getting the culture and the connectivity together, and really making that fly” this year, followed by productising and scaling in year two, and growing even more in year three.
“We sit in a very different position to the rest of the industry. We’ve got the speed and agility of the indies, the backing of the infrastructure and the technology and the smarts of the big global networks. And by deliberately different, that means what you get from us is an experience that delivers you outsized impact for your business, but in a real way that’s meaningful for the relationships and the partnerships as well.”
