Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, October 2025 – Havas Media ANZ has announced the appointment of Kate O’Ryan-Roeder as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 2026.
O’Ryan-Roeder joins Havas Media after a decade at Mindshare ANZ, where she most recently served as Managing Director, Sydney, following her tenure as Chief Client Officer. She succeeds Virginia Hyland, who previously led the agency.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Havas team come January,” said Kate O’Ryan-Roeder. “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 have in the next years is bold and transformative, and something I wanted to be a big part of.”
During her tenure at Mindshare, O’Ryan-Roeder led a team of nearly 150 professionals, oversaw a bespoke agency for LVMH, and helped secure major new business including MG Motor. Before relocating to Australia, she spent eight years with Mindshare Worldwide in London, leading global accounts such as HSBC, Volvo, and global planning for Unilever. Her earlier roles include leadership positions at Gyro International and Mitchell Media.
As CEO of Havas Media ANZ, O’Ryan-Roeder will oversee the agency’s national operations across Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on expanding its media, AI, technology, and data capabilities. She will also lead deeper integration across the Havas Village—the agency’s collaborative model uniting media, creative, PR, public affairs, and health expertise. She will report to James Wright, Havas ANZ Group CEO.
“We were very humbled by the huge interest we had in the Havas Media CEO role and got to meet some incredibly talented candidates,” said James Wright. “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, and Kate leading the Havas Media Network will be a huge driver of this.”
Her appointment follows a period of strong growth for Havas Media, which has recently added clients such as Tangerine and More, Perfetti Van Melle, and Emirates globally. The agency also strengthened its footprint through the acquisition of Hotglue in Melbourne and the opening of a new Melbourne Village, which now houses over 90 specialists. Havas’ Sydney Village is home to more than 300 professionals across nine agencies, with additional offices in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Perth, and Auckland.
Welcoming her to the leadership team, Peter Mears, Global CEO of Havas Media, said, “We are delighted to have someone of Kate’s quality and strengths 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. 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.”
Maria Grivas, CEO of Mindshare Australia & New Zealand, added, “Kate made a meaningful impact at Mindshare, both in Sydney and globally. Her thoughtful leadership, care for clients, and commitment to culture have helped shape who we are today. While we’re sad to see her leave, our heartfelt congratulations go to her as she steps into this exciting new chapter as a CEO, and we wish her every success.”
About Havas Media ANZ
When data, tech, and AI are everywhere, how you use them sets you apart. At Havas Media ANZ, the agency prides itself on thinking differently — using strategy as the engine to power media planning, performance, analytics, partnerships, and innovation.
Part of the Havas Village, a unique model uniting media, martech, creative, PR, and public affairs under one roof, Havas Media ANZ is backed by a global network of over 20,000 professionals across 150+ countries. With €400M+ invested in its data, tech, and AI roadmap, the agency continues to evolve its proprietary platform Converged.AI, driving faster, smarter, and bolder media ideas that deliver meaningful results.
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