Havas India has appointed John Thangaraj, former FCB Group India Group Chief Strategy Officer, as the Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Creative Network India.
His remit will include Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX India (customer experience), Conran Design Mumbai (brand design), Ekino (technology), and Havas People India (employer branding).
In his new role at Havas India, Thangaraj will be responsible for driving the strategic mandate of the creative network and work closely with Havas Village India leaders to drive integration. He will be based out of Gurugram and report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, South East Asia and North Asia (Japan and South Korea).
Prior to joining Havas India as CSO, he was associated with FCB Group India for a period of eight years, starting July 2016. He joined the agency as Executive Planning Director- FCB Ulka in July 2016 and was elevated to the role of National Planning Director- FCB Ulka in March 2018. In January 2021, he assumed the role of Chief Strategy Officer- FCB India and was later appointed as Group Chief Strategy Officer of the agency in April 2023.
Before FCB Group India, he was the Head of Strategy- North at Mindshare from September 2013 to June 2016, VP- Strategic Planning at MullenLowe Lintas Group from May 2010 to August 2013, Head- Strategic Planning at Rediffusion Y&R from February 2008 to April 2010, and Manager- Trend and Lifestyle Marketing at adidas from February 2007 to January 2008.
In the past, he was also associated with Quantum Consumer Solutions, Logan Meo Walters and 20:20 Media.
Expressing his excitement on the new role, Thangaraj, Chief Strategy Officer- Havas Creative Network India, Havas India, said, “I couldn’t be more excited to be embarking on this journey with Rana and the rest of the Havas India team. As the saying goes, it takes a village. And the Havas Village remains one of the most deeply and seamlessly integrated creative networks in the world. The opportunities to create meaningful client value across the entire chain are quite literally, limitless, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Speaking about the appointment, Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, South East Asia and North Asia (Japan and South Korea), added, “Havas Creative Network India has gained tremendous scale and size over the last six years. One of the agencies which has seen unprecedented growth, new leaders, tremendous business traction is Havas Worldwide India and therefore John will work closely with Anupama Ramaswamy and Kundan Joshee to further drive the growth of the agency.”
“In addition, he will also work closely with Geet Nazir (Conran Design Mumbai), Prashant Tekwani (Havas CX India) and Arindam Sengupta (Havas People India) to further strengthen the strategic vision. He will further consolidate our client relationships and drive thought-leadership to ensure meaningful business growth and establish Havas Creative Network India as the most future-forward and progressive creative network conglomerate. I wish him all the best,” he added.
