Jen Black and Matt Holt head to Havas

Havas UK has appointed ex-Fabula Managing Director Jen Black as Managing Partner and former Ogilvy Head of Experience Planning Matt Holt as Head of Experience Strategy. The pair will work jointly across creative agency Havas London and customer engagement agency Havas helia – a cross-agency model which is becoming increasingly common for the only truly integrated marketing and communications company in the UK.

Black – who has been freelancing since leaving Fabula in early 2017 – joins to lead a number of key accounts, including recent wins Britain’s Beer Alliance and the Department for Education. She had joined the then-start-up agency in 2013 as an equity partner and Managing Director. Prior to that, she had stints as Client Services Director at Fallon London, Business Director at Mother, and Account Director at WCRS.

Holt – who also becomes Strategy Partner and Global Strategist on GSK – joins directly from Ogilvy, where he headed up its experience planning division and was Global Strategy Lead on BA as part of the integrated WPP Team Horizon. Prior to this, he held a number of senior roles in digital strategy and consulting at the agency (then OgilvyOne), working across EY, Nestle and American Express. Prior to this he was Head of Social at SapientNitro, Business Partner at social start-up Kinship Networking and senior account lead at VCCP.

Xavier Rees, CEO of Havas London, Havas helia and Field Day, says: “Matt and Jen are two of the best practitioners in the industry today. Jen's brings an entrepreneurial flare that complements the way we see things here at Havas. Combined with Matt's experience leading big global strategy for the likes of BA and Nestle, they represent another important step forward for Havas and our clients. It's a real coup for us that they have both chosen Havas as their new home".