Havas appoints chief financial officer

29 Jan 2021

Havas is proud to announce the appointment of Mohamed Bhyat as its chief financial officer (CFO). Bhyat's appointment came into effect at the beginning of the year (2021), taking over the reins from Andrea Bottega. He will be working on the business in South Africa, across the entire Havas Village which includes Havas Johannesburg, Havas PR, Havas Media and the digital arm, Havas Boondoggle. He will also collaborate, where necessary with the Vivendi Africa team, which includes Universal Music Group and GameLoft.

Mohamed Bhyat

Speaking on appointment, Havas Southern Africa CEO Lynn Madeley said: “We are very pleased with the appointment of Mohamed to lead our finance operations. He is a seasoned chartered accountant with extensive experience working with businesses in marketing and media in South Africa. His role will also see him sit on the Havas Village’s leadership team, helping steer the direction of the business into 2021 and beyond.”

Managing partner at Havas Africa, Vineel Agarwal, added on the appointment: “Having Mohamed join the leadership team is a great jumpstart into the year. His role is crucial in fostering the existing integration across all disciplines within the Havas Village in South Africa and the rest of the continent. We are looking forward to building a stronger Havas brand together.”

Bhyat’s work experience covers a wide range of businesses in the marketing and media sector. He was in the role of CFO for SuperSport for over five years, working closely with the CEO. He led Paycorp Holding’s finance function as the group financial executive, held the position of CFO at Primedia Sport, among other organisations.

“I am excited to have joined the Havas team, leading finance and sitting with the leadership team to help drive the business to generate strong profit margins. Havas’s culture is centred on the delivery of excellent work to clients, and the business's commitment to transformation, diversity and inclusion is exemplary, and I look forward to playing my part in making a meaningful difference to our clients, our people and South Africa,” sayd Bhyat.

“At Havas, we continue to hold ourselves accountable to our commitment to transformation. Our belief is that any businesses, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, ought to be a microcosm of the society within which they exist. And this work does not end with Havas being BBBEE level one, it’s an ongoing commitment to which we hold ourselves accountable to,” concluded Madeley.

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