Peter Mears

Global CEO, Havas Media Network
Chairman of the Havas North America Village

As Global CEO of Havas Media Network, Peter Mears oversees the global operations and strategy for all of Havas' media units. He also supports Havas’ global brand partners, the global new business team and manages all regional and local leadership, advising on agency management, client strategy, and new business. Peter is also Chairman of the Havas North America Village, with the task of driving growth and closer interaction between our businesses and a member of the Havas Executive Committee, helping to drive operational excellence and execution to support the vision of the group. Prior to this, he spent 6 months as COO of Havas Media Network after joining the group in April 2017.

As Global CEO, Peter has worked to reinvigorate the mission of Havas Media Network around people and make meaningful connections between consumers and brands. Mears believes investing in and creating meaningful media experiences for clients helps brands become more impactful. Great customer and user experiences still matter, but the industry has neglected the importance of the media experience, which should live at the crossroads of connection, context, and content.

The desire to respond to complexity and a need to rise above the “how” of data and look at the “why” of human insight led to the development of a new global operating system—Mx, or Media Experience. Under Mears, teams have been built around client responsibilities, creating a more client-centric structure and eliminating silos. This shift in strategic approach provides the competitive advantage for Havas Media Network, and in the past 18 months has yielded high-profile global wins including PUMA, TripAdvisor, Meetic, and Hyundai and Kia.

Peter is an advertising veteran with more than 20 successful years of experience within the industry. He has a strong track record of driving business growth and cultural change. Prior to joining Havas Media Network, he served as the Global Chief Operating Officer at Initiative, a global communications network within IPG Mediabrands.