The appointment follows the departure of former chief executive Tash Whitmey, who left Havas Helia to head up Tesco’s Clubcard scheme.
 
Rees was appointed chief executive of Havas London in March 2016. Prior to that he was group managing director at adam&eveDDB and has held various roles within creative, direct and digital agencies, including BBH, Grey, Targetbase Claydon Heeley and Wunderman. 
 
The two agencies work together on shared clients including Heathrow, Unilever and GSK, as part of Havas’ ‘Village’ structure.
 
Chris Hirst, Europe and UK group chief executive at Havas, said of Rees’ expanded remit: “Combined with his experience across a number of different specialisms, and the fact this appointment will encourage even greater integration between our agencies, I can’t think of anyone better for the job.”