12475: Havas Promotes White Trio.

Advertising Age reported Havas Worldwide assembled a new leadership team featuring a trio of White men to run the White advertising agency. Hey, you can never have too many White men in charge, right? Havas Worldwide Global CEO Andrew Benett initially sought a (probably White male) candidate outside of the network before settling on the three stooges senior staffers. Benett said, “They started to be a sort of natural forming team.” Well, naturally, as they’re White men. The decision to appoint them to their new roles might have happened sooner if the trio were brothers or blood relatives in the Bollore clan.

Havas Announces New NY Leadership Team

Tim Maleeny, Sean Lyons, Matt Weiss Become Managing Partners

By Malika Toure

Havas Worldwide New York has formed a new leadership team, effective immediately. Global CEO Andrew Benett has appointed New York Chief Strategy Officer Tim Maleeny, Global Chief Digital Officer Sean Lyons and Global Chief Marketing Officer Matt Weiss to newly-formed managing partner roles.

In addition to their current responsibilities, they will run day-to-day operations in the New York office with each exec overseeing a section of the agency’s client roster. Clients include Liberty Mutual Insurance, Keurig Green Mountain, TD Ameritrade and Dos Equis. The trio will also be tasked with reinvigorating the agency’s offering, acquiring new business and creating new sources of revenue.

“They started to be a sort of natural forming team,” said Mr. Benett, who initially looked outside of the network for someone to assume the role of New York head. Following a 20% increase in revenue last year, the agency has won new business from Edible Arrangements and WeddingWire in 2015.

Mr. Maleeny, Mr. Lyons and Mr. Weiss will report to Mr. Benett, who has personally overseen the office since former New York co-Chairman and Global Brands President Matt Ryan’s departure in late 2013.

“We look at our global staff function and ask, ‘Do we have someone world-class leading each area—digital, talent, marketing?’” said Mr. Benett. “If you look at the world’s top agencies, that’s something that’s in their DNA—two or three key people at the top who think of the business as their business.”

The agency will see a few additional changes. New York Exec Creative Directors Israel Garber and Jason Musante are being elevated to managing director-group exec creative director positions. Together, they will lead the creative department. Director of Talent Shannon Novak has also been promoted to managing director, talent—she will partner with the new leadership on talent recruiting and growth strategy.

These are the latest in a series of changes at Havas Worldwide. In December, Mr. Benett brought the Montreal and Toronto offices together under a single CEO and Chief Creative Officer. Last week, Ad Age reported the formation of Havas Work Club, Havas London’s partnership with digital hotshop Work Club, as well as the U.K. office’s new leadership team. The global creative group also launched Havas Helia last week, following the merger of digital agency Havas EHS and data capability Havas Discovery.