Havas helia Names New Chief Data Officer

Havas Worldwide's customer engagement agency Havas helia has appointed former IPG Mediabrands exec Russell Marsh as Chief Data Officer, replacing Ben Silcox.

As reported on DRNO today, Silcox has just taken up the same role in the new data solutions arm of digital agency AnalogFolk.

helia, formed last year through the combination of digital agency EHS and data intelligence agency Havas Discovery, analyses patterns in human behaviour and combines the findings with cultural understanding to develop creative ideas. The company has eight offices around the globe - including Chicago, New York, London and Shanghai - and employs 700 staff, including 200 data scientists.

Marsh (pictured) joins with more than twenty years' digital marketing industry experience. Most recently, he worked at IPG Mediabrands as Global Data Officer, prior to which he was Group Strategy Director at RAPP, MD at Agency.com, and played a key role in Omnicom's P&G account in the EMEA region.

In his new role, Marsh is responsible for helia's automation agenda, and using the firm's media data to inform targeting and buying. Group CEO Tash Whitmey comments: 'Russell, like me, believes in the combined power of data and creativity. His pedigree speaks for itself, making him an extremely impressive individual with a formidable record of data and innovation across some of the largest blue chip brands'.

Web site: www.havashelia.com .