Havas Media strengthens ANZ leadership team with two senior appointments

Havas Media Network is expanding its growth and AI-powered performance capabilities across ANZ with two key appointments. Kunal Chakravarty (KC) has been appointed Head of New Business & Marketing, ANZ, while Agata Adamczak joins the agency as Head of Organic & AI Performance, as part of the Consumer Science & Analytics (CSA) team. Working across the wider Havas Village, the Organic & AI Performance practice will connect organic search and AI-powered discovery with data, content, PR, media and customer experience.

KC (above left) moves into the role from Havas People, where he led new business across APAC. Prior to that, he was Head of Integration at Havas India, working across agencies within the Indian Havas Village. During his tenure, the network was named Campaign’s South Asia Agency of the Year 2024, while its new business team was recognised as New Business Development Team of the Year.

In his new role, KC will lead new business and marketing across Havas Media, Havas Play, CSA, and Prose on Pixels across Australia and New Zealand.

Says Kate O’Ryan-Roeder, CEO, Havas Media ANZ: “KC’s perspective and approach are a natural fit for us at Havas Media. He brings fresh thinking, a collaborative mindset and genuine curiosity about how our industry continues to evolve. At a time when clients are navigating increasing complexity, he has a proven ability to bring together people, capabilities and ideas in ways that create meaningful value for clients. That’s what being Deliberately Different means to us: bringing together diverse thinking and skill sets to solve client challenges in new ways. We’re delighted to welcome KC to the team.”

Meanwhile, Agata (right) brings nearly 20 years of experience across data, digital strategy, search, and AI visibility, with previous senior roles at iCrossing, Performics, BrightEdge, Pattern, Botify and Dotdigital, where she worked with brands including Harvey Norman, Optus, Canva, Myer, Medibank and OFX. As Botify’s first ANZ hire and Solutions Consulting Director for JAPAC, she helped establish the company’s regional presence and bring its emerging AI capabilities to market.

At Havas Media Network, she joins CSA to lead the Organic & AI Performance practice, bringing together content strategy, technical optimisation, data intelligence and AI-driven digital growth consulting. The practice is designed to help clients respond to changing discovery behaviour as consumers increasingly use AI platforms for answers and recommendations. Its approach treats AI visibility as a broader business performance challenge rather than simply an extension of traditional SEO.

Adds O’Ryan-Roeder: “Agata joins us at exactly the right time for our clients and our industry. As AI continues to reshape how people discover brands, she brings a rare combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking and a passion for innovation. Her appointment reflects our commitment to investing in the capabilities our clients will need to remain competitive in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.”

Agata said the rise of AI-assisted search and recommendation platforms was also changing how brands should measure digital performance: “The way people discover brands is changing, and that means the way we measure success has to change with it. Traffic and rankings will still matter, but they can no longer tell the whole story. Brands also need to understand whether they are being cited, recommended and accurately represented by AI systems, and whether that visibility is influencing consideration, conversion and revenue.

“AI Visibility cannot simply be treated as the next version of SEO. It is a discovery and business performance challenge. Our role is to help clients understand what is shaping their visibility, what needs to change and how to connect that work back to measurable business outcomes.”

Alongside her role at Havas Media, Agata is the founder of AI enablement consultancy Lumii Advisory.

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