Havas Media Network appoints Mitchell Long as chief strategy officer

Havas Media Network has appointed Mitchell Long as chief strategy officer. Long joins from PHD where he worked for 12 years, most recently as national head of strategy and will join the Havas Media Leadership team.

Lauded by previous bosses, colleagues and industry heavyweights, Long (above right) has been described as “one of the best strategists in Australia right now.”

Long honed his craft in communications strategy in the time he was at PHD, working on some of the world’s most influential brands, such as Google, Volkswagen Unilever, Virgin Australia, Chanel and more. Long has also played a pivotal role in developing content that is relevant to the entire industry for MFA EX over a number of years.

Says Virginia Hyland (left), CEO Havas Media Network: “Mitch is a rare talent within our industry with a sharp focused mind that can unpack and develop business solutions for clients with compelling results. I have taken some time to identify and find the right candidate for this important role. Mitch will lead the strategic direction for Havas Media Australia and Havas PLAY. He will also play a pivotal role working alongside the Havas Village agencies to support our continued global focus creating a Converged operating system and data home platform for clients from across our Havas Village.

“With recent significant business growth via wins and independent agency acquisitions for the Havas Media Network, it is a particularly exciting time for Mitch to join the team. Marketers challenge to simplify the complicated has never been greater particularly when budgets are tight, and their teams are stretched. They desire to work with partners who can unpack their problems and deliver an integrated seamless working model to deliver new growth areas. Mitch will play a key role in leaning into our clients business in a true partnership extension.”

Of his new role, Long says: “In the face of industry fragmentation, Havas’ new Converged OS backed by their unique Village model holds opportunity to build much needed bridges between creative, media, production, and technology. As part of my role, I’ll be looking to evolve our strategy product to draw upon our unique strengths within Converged and across our breadth of Village capabilities all in the service of great ideas that real people care about and that live through every facet of a brand’s marketing ecosystem.

“Havas’ Village model is uniquely positioned to bridge the growing divide between breadth and depth, I’m excited to help build their next chapter.”

Long originally studied journalism and says it was only when he started his career as an intern in advertising he felt like he was in the right place: “I was instantly struck by the fun energy, the smart people and the warmth I felt.”

With experience spanning a diverse range of categories, his work has been recognised across the industry including Gold at Festival of Media, M&M Global, MFA Awards and more.

This news follows the recent announcement of the evolution to the Havas global strategy and significant investment of $400 million EU into data, tech and AI, the promotion of Alastair Baker to chief planning officer locally and the Havas Media acquisition of Hotglue.