Havas Media Network Appoints Pankaj Nayak as CEO for SG Operations

Havas Media Network has appointed Pankaj Nayak as Havas Media Network Singapore's chief executive officer, and president of SEA for Havas Media, effective immediately. Nayak will report directly to Rana Barua, group CEO, India, SEA and North Asia.

Nayak will excel in advancing Havas' converged strategy across SEA, influence Havas Media Network's emerging core capabilities in activation and commerce as well as data and tech enhancing growth, innovation and client impact, besides leading in building expertise as a major strategic pillar through alliances and acquisitions, in furtherance of strengthening regional offerings.

Before assuming the current role at Havas, Nayak previously held the position of managing director, media group, Singapore at dentsu international. He was also the president, product strategy and delivery, media, at dentsu international where he established and drove product capabilities across performance, commerce, experience, data tech analytics and media effectiveness for the media group at dentsu Singapore, according to his Linkedin.

Most importantly, he has 25 years of experience throughout various Asian markets, with a total of 17 years in Singapore where he had worked on clients such as the National Heritage Board, the national council for problem gambling, and other whole of government businesses.

He was an employee of the Havas agency, which makes him quite well familiar with the Havas network. Nayak has returned to lead the growth strategy of the agency and create innovative, impactful client solutions with Russell Lai, chief commercial officer of Havas Media Network Singapore, and Kenny Yap, chief operating officer of Havas Play.

He was previously at OMG as APAC director in charge of new businesses and also ran business development for OMD as regional business director. The simultaneous hold positions at MediaCom India, MediaCom Malaysia, and MediaCom Singapore were also part of his work experience.

"Asia’s diverse and rapidly evolving markets demand a leader who understands the nuances of each market, and what it takes to drive growth. Nayak brings to us deep regional experience, and his expertise in driving global and regional client businesses, developing product capabilities and verticals, and fostering high-performance teams is the ideal fit for this role," said Barua.

On his new role, Nayak said "I’m thrilled to join the network during such an exciting phase of growth in the region. The opportunity to lead the media team in Singapore, while contributing to the broader SEA region, is incredibly exciting."

"My conversations with Barua have been incredibly fruitful, and with Havas’ converged strategy—alongside the growth potential in the region—was a major factor in my decision to join Havas. I look forward to working with the team to drive growth by leveraging our collective regional strengths to deliver impactful, integrated solutions that meet our clients' evolving needs," he added.

Nayak joins Havas Media Network as the agency undergoes phenomenal growth on the transformations toward local and global integration. Havas CX, the global customer experience network of Havas, further extends its presence across Southeast Asia with the newly launched service housed in Singapore.

This will connect the UI/UX and experience design resources of Think Design with Ekino, the technology and digital transformation specialist that has been operating since 2017 in Singapore. The Havas network, which already spans 18 major Havas Villages all over the world, such as those in London, Paris, New York, and Mumbai, intends to expand the reach of this business activity.

Nayak succeeds Jacqui Lim as CEO of Havas Media Network Singapore, the latter exiting the post in April 2024. Lim was also chief growth officer for SEA and North Asia. She decided to move from the agency to other interests, ultimately becoming the chief commercial officer of Singapore's national media network and content creator, Mediacorp, in May 2024.