Merged media agency network Havas Red adds South Africa to its growing bench of global markets and offerings
Havas Red (formerly Red Havas), the global PR agency micronetwork, today announced the addition of Havas Red South Africa in Johannesburg. The move expands its presence to 14 markets around the world. Carel Scheepers, chief strategy officer of Havas Village Africa, has been named head of Havas Red South Africa, while Vineel Argawal, CEO and managing partner of Havas Village Africa, will also be the CEO of Havas Red South Africa.
“Every year Havas Red grows bigger, better, bolder — and more borderless,” said James Wright, global CEO of Havas Red and global chairman of the Havas PR Network. “We’re broadening our clients’ access to borderless thinking and understanding of the ‘corpsumer’ marketplace — this time not just to a new country but a new and increasingly important continent for our clients.”
Since its launch in 2019, Havas Red has expanded to 13 markets around the world, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, the Middle East, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S., as well as Vietnam. With the addition of South Africa, the Havas Red footprint becomes 14 markets and importantly, its first foray into the growing African region.
“We live in a world where people are in need of more. More meaning, more purpose and, most of all, contributing to building the industry of tomorrow,” explained Carel Scheepers. “Plugging into the Havas Red micronetwork permits our team in Johannesburg to tap even more deeply into the integrated and global capabilities we have access to as part of the Havas family.”
The Johannesburg office now operates in a unified way across Havas Red’s seven disciplines around the world: health and wellness, corporate PR and reputation management, technology and e-commerce, consumer and lifestyle, automotive and mobility, travel and hospitality, as well as employee engagement and internal communications.
“We have been proud to work with a diverse portfolio of clients at the Havas Village in South Africa, where our clients trust us as their partners in transformation, growth and forward-thinking,” added Vineel Agarwal. “This next chapter with Havas Red feels like we’ve unlocked the door to a whole new planet of possibilities for our clients.”
This year marks another period of strong performance for Havas Red, which was recently named by Campaign as PR Agency Global Network of 2022, received a Gold Stevie International Business Award for PR Agency of the Year in Canada and the U.S.A., and also picked up an internal Havas BOLD award as their network’s Agency of the Year. The agency’s roster of clients includes Galderma, the U.K. Department of Education, IKEA Foundation, Molson Coors, Meltwater, Kellogg’s, ManpowerGroup, Cox Automotive, UNICEF, Toyota, Baddoo and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, among others.
In 2023, Havas Red introduced Peaks, its award-winning multichannel executive branding support, and SWAY by Havas Red, an end-to-end influencer marketing service. Last year, it added Red Impact, a global offering that brings together its ESG and sustainability expertise and capabilities from across the world. Other global offerings from Havas Red include Havas Red Health, a specialized offering focused on health and wellness, and Red Connect, a B2B content marketing practice.