Havas Australia appoints Candice Veasey as chief people officer

(Pictured front row left to right: Gayle While, CEO Host/Havas; Kevin Zhang, chief human resources officer, APAC; Candice Veasey, CPO, Havas Australia & New Zealand; Virginia Hyland, CEO Havas Media Network Australia; Pin Dong, CFO, Havas Creative Group Australia)

Leading Australian media and communications groups Havas, has appointed Candice Veasey as its new chief people officer (CPO).

With nearly 20 years of experience in the UK and Australia, Veasey brings a proven track record of implementing strategic and commercially focused people initiatives that drive business performance and growth, in line with the company’s vision and values.

In her role as CPO, Veasey will serve as Havas Australia and New Zealand’s strategic leader for recruitment, brand and culture. This appointment comes at a pivotal time as Havas prepares for a period of planned growth in its Australian operations.

Veasey will play a key role in leading innovative, people-centred programs and processes to attract and engage talent across Havas’s Australian and New Zealand Villages, home to some of the region’s leading agencies, including Havas Media, Host/Havas, Red Havas, Bastian Brands, Frontier and One Green Bean.

Kevin Zhang, chief human resources officer, APAC at Havas, expressed his excitement in welcoming an experienced leader like Veasey to the team: “At Havas, our people are crucial to our company’s success. Candice brings extensive experience in developing world-class talent programs within large and growing agencies, and we look forward to her helping us scale our HR and talent functions, shape our future roadmap, and place even greater emphasis on attracting, nurturing, and engaging our people.”

Veasey joins Havas from media agency Mindshare where she was national head of people and culture. Her experience also includes previous roles as head of HR for Daily Mail in the UK and HR manager and business partner roles with Swift Media and Denstu Aegis.

For Veasey, the opportunity to make a positive impact as part of Havas’s unique ‘Village culture’ was a key factor that attracted her to the group: “I have always sought alignment between my personal values and those of the company I work for, not only in what we do, but how we do it.

“Working alongside passionate teams that strive to make a meaningful difference is an exciting opportunity. By partnering with each agency within the group, we will enhance collaboration and connection across the network.

“Together we will bring to life our local and global visions, focused on purposeful impact, leading with empathy, fostering a caring community, promoting employee well-being, inclusion, and belonging, and supporting resilience as essential components of a successful agency model.

“I feel honoured to leverage my skills, experience, and passion in this new role and contribute to the future success of the group in the people and culture space, guided by the principle of ‘better together.'”

Veasey will be based at Havas’s Sydney Village and will begin her role on 18 July 2023 reporting to James Wright, group CEO Havas Creative, Virgina Hyland, CEO Havas Media and Kevin Zhang, chief human resources officer, APAC.