Havas Creative Group Launches Helia

Havas Creative Group has announced that it is relaunching Havas EHS and Havas Discovery with the newly merged companies now called Helia.

This expansion will create a go-to-market brand across the US (Chicago, Richmond, Baltimore, and New York), Europe (London, Cirencester, Warsaw), and China (Shanghai). The Helia group will start with a combined data-related revenue of over $70 million, more than 200 data scientists, 700 staff, and a client roster that includes Unilever, easyJet, IBM, Diageo, Sony PlayStation, Liberty Mutual, and DISH.

This expansion is part of Havas Creative Group’s goal of creating a global network that will redefine the face of data as it relates to creative and digital and reflects Havas’s belief that data is at the core of its continued growth.

Helia will be led by Havas EHS group CEO, Tash Whitmey [above, third from left], Havas Worldwide Chicago group president, Paul Marobella [above lfet], and Havas EHS group COO, Matt Fanshawe [above right], with dedicated leads in each office.

Below Andrew Benett [pictured above, second from left], global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group, tells us more about the company's plans and what prompted the merger.

What prompted the merger between EHS and Discovery? 

To be honest it felt like a natural marriage. The two organisations share a common ethos, similarities in culture and ways of working and a passionate belief in the power of data. We see the way forward as being the combining of data, technology and creativity to deliver smarter more meaningful customer connections that have measurable commercial impact.

How will the new company’s clients benefit from the combination of EHS and Discovery? 

With ‎a broader global platform and over 700 staff which includes 200 data scientists as well as global teams of strategists, technologists and creatives, we are able to give our clients access to an unique mix of experience and capability. Shared learning, cross sector knowledge and innovation all mean we can continue to partner with our clients to help them to achieve business success 

Why did now feel like the right time to make this change? 

A recognition of our unique capability‎ and experience, clients evolving business priorities and looking forward, the clearly identified need to innovate first - to give our clients the competitive edge they are looking for. 

How much more important has data, its use and interpretation become in recent years and how important will it continue to be to creativity? 

Every business, whatever the sector, is focussed on creating better customer experiences - and to do that they know they need to understand what a customer does, why, where and how.

From Unilever through to IBM, the challenge they face is how to manage every customer touchpoint to create more effective relationships between brand and consumer. The blend of data, technology and creative allows us to create smarter, more precise and more meaningful ‎connections - which build business - measurably.