Havas Media Thailand has appointed industry veteran Ferdinand Gutierrez to the newly created role of chief executive officer.

Gutierrez will develop Thailand operations in to a digital hub for the Indochina region, in an attempt to build a strong foothold in the market, in addition to leading the Thai media team and delivering Havas’ Village proposition to the Thai market.

This will build upon the strengthened presence acquired by taking premier integrated agency River Orchid last year, leading to Havas becoming the only global group with operations in all five countries of Indochina, bolstering its abilities across nine out of 10 Southeast Asian economies.

“I was very attracted to Havas’ vision of integration and collaboration and am looking forward to immersing myself in the sophisticated offering that ranges from the Meaningful Brands approach to their “digital-at-the-core” vision,” said Gutierrez.

“The agency truly walks the talk and I have no doubt that the marketers in Thailand will appreciate the agency’s distinctive approach to marketing.”

Gutierrez, who has over 20 years’ experience leading companies across Southeast Asia including working with Universal McCann, MindShare, New Media and Ogilvy, will report to Havas Media Group Asia Pacific chief executive officer Vishnu Mohan

“Thailand is a strategically important market for Havas and a strong Thai leadership will greatly augment our position as leaders in the all important Southeast Asia market,” said Mohan. “We are truly excited to have someone of Ferdinand’s calibre join us to build our operations.

“He not only has extensive experience of working in traditional and digital marketing but also has successfully built his own start-up venture,” added Mohan. “His knowledge of new media and the start-up world makes him the best person to deliver our ‘digital at the core’ vision in the market.”