Havas Group has promoted Simone Gupta to a newly created role of CEO of Havas PR Australia, responsible for Red Havas and One Green Bean. She has been CEO of One Green Bean and a member of the Havas Group AUNZ leadership team since February 2020.

Gupta will work with Steve Fontanot, managing director of Red Havas, to continue to strengthen and grow the group and will continue to lead One Green Bean’s communications.

“In this newly created role, Simone will have visibility across each agency, ensuring that the strategic direction, service offering and culture of both Red Havas and One Green Bean remain distinct,” stated Anthony Freedman, Havas Group ANZ chairman.

“Simone is a trusted and experienced leader and has worked successfully within a creative group environment in the past. In her role as CEO of One Green Bean, and as an integral part of the Havas Village leadership team, Simone has shown herself to be smart, decisive, empathetic and resilient. Red Havas and One Green Bean are unique in that they were both founded in Australia and now have offices across the Havas Creative Group network worldwide. I have the utmost confidence that under Simone’s exceptional leadership both businesses will continue to flourish.”

Gupta stated, “Red Havas and One Green Bean are both leaders in the earned media agency landscape for different reasons. This role is an opportunity to continue to develop that special uniqueness, enabling each agency to grow, delivering great work across a wide breadth of brands and businesses. I feel very at home at Havas Group, and I’m looking forward to working with the brilliantly talented leadership teams at both Red Havas and One Green Bean.”

Cover image l-r: Simone Gupta and Steve Fontanot