[cover image l-r: Dan Smith MD Host/Havas, Laura Aldington CEO Host/Havas & Anthony Freedman, chairman Havas Group Australia ]

Havas Group is merging two of its advertising agencies, Havas and Host, to create Host/Havas.

Havas group chief executive officer, Anthony Gregorio, has stood down and will leave the agency after 15 years.

Host/Havas will operate out of Havas’ Clarence Street Sydney offices. It will be led by the current Host chief executive officer, Laura Aldington, who has been appointed chief executive officer, Host/Havas.

Havas Sydney’s managing director, Dan Smith, will become the managing director of Host/Havas. The remainder of the new agency’s management team will include all the senior personnel from both agencies. The new agency will have 220 people.

During his time with the Havas Group, Gregorio worked across Havas Worldwide Australia, Arnold Furnace, The Red Agency and Havas People.

“I’m very proud of the businesses I have helped to build during my 15 years with the Havas Group in Australia. In particular over the last five years, Havas has become well known for its integrated approach to brand building across creative, PR and media,” Gregorio commented.

“Host/Havas will be an exciting new proposition for the Group in Australia, but I feel this is the perfect opportunity to draw a line under my Havas adventure and look for new opportunities after a well-earned break. I wish Anthony, Laura, Dan and the rest of the Host/Havas team and the wider Havas Village, the very best.”

The merger comes after the completion of Host’s six-year earn out. Havas purchased a 51% stake in Host in 2011. One Green Bean was included in this transaction, but will continue to remain a stand-alone business in its own office. Red Agency and Havas Media will also remain as they are.

It also follows media company, Vivendi’s, purchase of a majority stake in Havas in May. Havas executive creative director, Stu Turner, then left to become group executive creative director at DDB. Ant Melder and Seamus Higgins are currently joint executive creative directors of Havas. Ex-DDB chief creative officer, Darren Spiller, is currently chief creative officer of Host.

The founder of the creative agency Host, Anthony Freedman, was appointed as the chairman of Havas Group Australia and New Zealand in June. “Host/Havas will be one of the largest agencies in Sydney, where cut-through creativity meets state-of-the-art marketing science. It will blend network scale with start-up spirit and is another important step in our successful Better Together global strategy,” he commented.