Havas Media ANZ appoints Kate O’Ryan-Roeder as Chief Executive Officer

Havas Media ANZ has appointed Kate O’Ryan-Roeder as its new Chief Executive Officer. She comes to the agency after ten years at Mindshare ANZ, where she held senior positions, including Chief Client Officer and, most recently, Managing Director of the Sydney office.

During her time at Mindshare ANZ, she managed a team of almost 150, led a dedicated agency for LVMH, and played a key role in winning major new clients, including the recent MG account.

She possesses extensive international expertise, having dedicated eight years to Mindshare Worldwide in London, where she oversaw major global accounts such as HSBC and Volvo and led strategic global planning for Unilever. Before joining Mindshare, she contributed her skills at Gyro International and Mitchell Media.

As the CEO of Havas Media ANZ, O’Ryan-Roeder will oversee the agency’s operations across Australia and New Zealand, focusing on growth acceleration, strategic media investment, and the enhancement of AI, technology, and data capabilities. She will also aim to foster closer collaboration within the broader Havas Village, which encompasses creative, media, PR, public affairs, and health services. O’Ryan-Roeder will report directly to James Wright, who serves as Group CEO of Havas ANZ, Global CEO of Havas Red, and Global Chair of the Havas PR Network.

O’Ryan-Roeder is set to join Havas in January 2026. Her appointment follows a phase of significant expansion for the agency, highlighted by global new business wins such as Tangerine and More, Perfetti Van Melle, and Emirates. In addition, Havas strengthened its Melbourne presence last year through the acquisition of Hotglue, which has since been integrated into Havas Media Melbourne.

James Wright said: “We were very humbled by the huge interest we had in the Havas Media CEO role and got to meet some incredibly talented candidates. Kate stood out from the get-go with a wonderful blend of smarts, savviness and strong client and people skills. We are about to embark on a very exciting period of investment and transformation at Havas ANZ that will further showcase our difference in the market and Kate leading the Havas Media Network is going to be a huge driver of this. I look forward to working with her and the leadership group to fulfill our ambitious plans.”

"I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Havas team come January. What truly inspired and resonated with me was the sense of shared values and purpose and I'm excited by the unique Village approach – it's a powerful way to deliver exceptional results for clients and cultivate a truly collaborative and supportive environment for our people. The vision for ANZ that James and Havas has in the next years’ is bold and transformative, and something I wanted to be a big part of," said Kate O’Ryan-Roeder.

Global CEO of Havas Media, Peter Mears, said: “We are delighted to have someone of the quality and strengths of Kate join the Havas family. Australia and New Zealand are important markets for us, and we have big plans to further scale and strengthen our offerings in the coming months and years. With Kate’s strong track record of managing teams that grow and succeed we are looking forward to her working with James and the leadership to take us to new levels.”