Mumbai: Havas Group India has announced the appointment of Sumeer Mathur as national planning head and managing partner, Havas Worldwide India - the creative agency of the group, with immediate effect. He will be based out of the Gurugram office and report to Havas Group India group CEO Rana Barua.
“The meaningful difference we make to our client’s business through our differentiated products, digital-led strategic solutions and engaging storytelling, is what led us to the top league in the industry. Sumeer will drive this further," stated Havas Group India chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar. "Throughout his career, Sumeer has worked with strong business teams, delivering tangible business results. His keen interest in understanding what drives culture, what motivates consumers, and how digital technologies are reshaping brand interactions will add a tremendous value to our strategic planning function."
Mathur will be partnering Havas Worldwide (Creative) managing director Manas Lahiri and Havas Worldwide (Creative) ED and NCD Ravinder Siwach to scale up the agency further, collaborate with key clients including Reckitt, Citroën, Dabur, Suzuki, William Grant, Tata and Harman (JBL) among many others, and drive the strategic planning vision and expertise at Havas Creative India, said the statement.
He will also collaborate closely with Havas Worldwide's chief client officer and head of group integration Arindam Sengupta, and Havas CX EVP and business head Prashant Tekwani to drive the group’s vision of integration and CX. In addition, Mathur will also join forces with the entire senior leadership of the group companies of Havas Group to help drive the integration across the network.
“We need to now build a strong integrated leadership team that aggressively takes this growth mandate ahead. With Sumeer, Manas, Ravinder, Arindam, Prashant, Geet and all the other leaders forming the core team, it will further fuel our growth and empower us to deliver meaningful, ROI-centric marketing solutions for our clients,” said Rana Barua.
Mathur has worked across industries such as FMCG, telecom, automobiles, foods for some of India’s leading brands including Royal Enfield, Bira, Mother Dairy, Airtel, Unilever’s Fair & Lovely, Clinic All Clear, Cadbury and many more. Over the years, he has had successful stints at leading agencies such as DDB Mudra Group, JWT, Rediffusion Y&R, Contract and Lowe Lintas. His last stint was at Edelman as SVP, national planning and strategy head.
"Havas Creative's philosophy of meaningful brands is ahead of the curve in its understanding of the forces that shape consumer attitudes and behaviour in the world today. I look forward to leveraging this for our clients across categories," said Sumeer Mathur on his new role.
