PUTEAUX CEDEX, FRANCE--(Marketwire - May 9, 2012) - INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN FORCES WITH HAVAS MEDIA AS IT LAUNCHES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Acclaimed industry leader Jos Ortega teams up with Hermie de Leon, Tonypet Sarmiento and Eduardo Mapa to lead 'Havas Media Ortega'

Havas Media, one of the world's fastest growing global media networks, has made further investments in its Philippines operations with the launch of Havas Media Ortega. The group celebrates the launch alongside the announcement that acclaimed advertising heavyweights have chosen to join this thriving team.

Lending his name to the new venture, the new Chairman and CEO, Jos Ortega is a brand guru for the APAC region. Ortega co-founded BBDO Guerrero Ortega, served as CEO at JWT and is the co-founder and current Chairman of BrandLab.

Bringing the creative think tank of Collab to the mix is the new Chief Collaborator Tonypet Sarmiento, an internationally recognised creative head who has consistently occupied Campaign Brief Asia's Regional Creative Rankings List. Joining them will be Hermie de Leon, an influential pillar of the Philippines media industry who was the former CEO of Omnicom Media Group before joining Havas Media-MPG. Completing the team is digital maverick Eduardo Mapa, Jr. who, in addition to being a founding member of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines, has led Media Contacts Philippines to win the Araw Media Agency of the Year twice in a row.

The announcement follows the recent purchase of the mobile arm of digital industry leader Snapworx in January 2012 - now been rebranded as Mobext. Havas Media's first successful operation Media Contacts boasts of a client portfolio including Unilever, Citibank, Air Asia, Unilab and LBC. It has also been awarded the coveted media agency of the year for two consecutive years.

Havas Media Ortega integrates two of Havas Media's existing agencies in the Philippines, MPG (global media communications network) and Media Contacts (part of Havas Digital's global award-winning interactive arm) with Collab, as well as the award winning Mobext brand, now the Philippines' biggest digital and mobile marketing agencies. Havas Media Ortega will be the Philippines' first truly full-service media agency that is investing at scale across all of its component services.

Havas Media Ortega Chairman and CEO, Jos Ortega comments: "What attracted me to Havas Media is its growth record and entrepreneurial spirit. I felt it immediately when I first met the CEO Alfonso Rodés Vilà and Vishnu Mohan. As a strategic planner, I am also impressed with the group's commitment to thought leadership. Artemis is a breakthrough tool and Havas Media's Meaningful Brands framework and analysis takes the lead in the next generation business model. These are revolutionary ideas and I am looking forward to being a part of these developments and new thinking".

Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media APAC adds: "The creation of this heavyweight and inspirational team is a testimony to our commitment to the region and the strength of the existing teams who have done so well over the past two years. The digitalisation of media and convergence of technology has created a totally new and constantly changing media landscape that requires new solutions. While many other organizations are broken into silos that don't allow them to have a systemic view on communications activity, Havas Media Ortega's new integrated structure allows the teams to work across both disciplines and platforms to create deeper more meaningful campaigns for clients".

Alfonso Rodés Vilà, CEO of Havas Media concludes: "The move comes as part of a wider vision to build a strong and powerful Havas Media operation in the markets of the future -- and as one of the top ten social media markets in the world and with a predicted double digit growth rate, the Philippines is certainly one of these markets. We are proud of our teams and their achievements and delighted that some of the country's leading gurus have chosen to join us".

About Havas

Havas (EURONEXT PARIS: HAV.PA) is a global advertising and communications services group. Headquartered in Paris, Havas operates through its two Business Units, Havas Worldwide and Havas Media, in order to optimize synergies and further reinforce Havas' position as the most integrated of all of the major holding companies. Havas Worldwide incorporates the Euro RSCG Worldwide network (233 offices in 75 countries, including the Euro RSCG, Euro RSCG Life, Euro RSCG 4D and Euro RSCG WW PR brands), the Arnold micronetwork (16 agencies in 15 countries on 5 continents) as well as other agencies with strong local identities.

Havas Media operates in over 100 countries and incorporates the MPG, Arena Media, Havas Sports & Entertainment and Havas Digital networks. A multicultural and decentralized Group, Havas is present in more than 75 countries through its networks of agencies and contractual affiliations. The Group offers a broad range of communications services, including traditional advertising, direct marketing, media planning and buying, corporate communications, sales promotion, design, human resources, sports marketing, multimedia interactive communications and public relations. Havas employs approximately 15,000 people. Further information about Havas is available on the company's website: [ www.havas.com ]

About Havas Media Ortega

Havas Media Ortega is the first and only full-service media agency providing end-to-end solutions in the Philippines. Havas Media Ortega does not only offer the most complete and cohesive set of media services in the Philippines, it also aspires to provide clients work that is best in class in all the media services on offer.

Havas Media Ortega integrates MPG (part of Havas Media's global media communications network), Media Contacts (part of Havas Digital's global award- winning interactive arm) Mobext (from the award winning mobile network) and Collab, a creative think tank in Manila.

About Havas Media

Havas Media, the global media network of Havas, is one of the world's fastest growing media groups having grown from 10 markets in 1999 to 122 markets in 2012.

Havas Media services its clients through a portfolio of specialist global networks and agencies. The group is organised to maximise local market dynamics whilst leveraging the extensive global insight and strategic support under its Meaningful Brands framework and analysis.

The companies within Havas Media include: MPG (Havas Media's global media communications network), Arena Media (Havas Media's tailor-made communications network), Havas Digital (Havas Media's global interactive network) and Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas Media's global sports and entertainment communication network).

Further information can be found at [ www.havasmedia.com ]

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Source: HAVAS via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1610647]