Vishnu Mohan to depart Havas Group

Havas Group has announced a reorganisation that will see Vishnu Mohan step down as chairman and CEO of Havas Group Southeast Asia (SEA), India and North Asia, after 25 years with the organisation.

Alberto Canteli, CEO of Middle East and Eastern Europe Havas Group, will extend his remit to include Southeast Asia and North Asia, including Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Indochina, Indonesia and Vietnam. Rana Barua will continue to run Havas India as Group CEO. Both Canteli and Barua will report to Chris Hirst, the global CEO of Havas Creative Group, and Peter Mears, the global CEO of Havas Media Group. 

Mohan will continue to serve as the chairman of the Vivendi Committee SEA and India, which aims to develop the parent company's companies in the region, reporting to Simon Gillham, member of the Vivendi Management Board.

The move echoes the 2019 departure of Mike Amour from his role as Havas Group APAC CEO and chairman. At the time, Havas Group announced that its leadership teams in Greater China and Australia would begin to report directly to global leaders in New York and London, while Mohan would remain in his role.

“It has been a journey of epic proportions to be a part of Havas over the last 25 years," Mohan said in a statement. "Nurturing teams and forging deep connections with the people that I worked with has made the journey meaningful and worthwhile. I wish Alberto, Chris and Peter every success in the future."

Mohan joined Havas on the creative side with Euro RSCG, and the company credits him with "an instrumental role in accelerating network growth [by] leveraging a challenger mindset, service excellence, partnerships and talent". He was the first Havas Media employee in the region in 2007 and "saw through the establishment of the network from New Zealand to India". Starting in 2017, the company said, he oversaw the integration of all disciplines under one roof and one P&L. 

“Vishnu’s career in Havas is marked by transformation, partnerships, building & leading future-ready teams," Gillham said in a release. "He was quick to tap into the power of Vivendi and combine it with the nimbleness of the Havas Village model to create new opportunities that have served Vivendi well. I wish him all the very best for his next chapter.” 

(This article first appeared on CampaignAsia.com)