Havas Health & You (HH&Y) announced several promotions and business developments across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region Tuesday afternoon.
Most notably, the agency said it has taken full control of Havas Life Tokyo, promoted Sangeeta Barde to serve as regional head of Middle East and the CEO of India while establishing its latest outpost: Havas Life Malaysia.
The announcements reflect HH&Y’s continued involvement and investment in APAC amid growing opportunities for the organization in the healthcare sector there. Last year, Havas Group acquired Bastion Brands, an Australian health communications agency, which now works closely with HH&Y to assist clients in the region.
“I’m so pleased to oversee this new era across the entirety of APAC as the region is poised for substantial growth in the healthcare sector,” Charles Houdoux, CEO of APAC and LATAM for HH&Y, said in a statement. “Staying at the forefront of what our clients want and need requires innovation and collaboration on our part. These markets are vital for health communications, and we’re confident in our ability to continue to help transform and future-proof our clients’ businesses.”
As part of the move to control Havas Life Tokyo, HH&Y said the Japanese firm will be led by managing director Grant Foster.
Meanwhile, Barde has been elevated from her post at Havas Life Sorento in India, where she achieved double-digit growth, according to the company. She was responsible for Sorento founding a content development center of excellence during her tenure.
In addition to Barde’s promotion, HH&Y said Jini Mathai will serve as regional head of Southeast Asia. Mathai previously served as strategy director for the region and nabbed bluechip pharma clients like Novartis, Bayer and Abbott Nutrition.
HH&Y has been busy at work to start 2023.
The agency unveiled a strategic partnership with Trinity Life Sciences at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and supported the ParkinSex wellness campaign with the American Parkinson Disease Association.
HH&Y also launched Archipelago, a standalone value and access consultancy, in mid-March. Prior to that, H/Advisors recently debuted H/Advisors Public Affairs, a fully integrated healthcare public affairs offering.
