Havas Helia has appointed award-winning creative leader Andy O’Carroll as its first-ever Chief Creative Officer, marking a significant shift in the agency’s structure, creative direction, and customer experience (CX) strategy. The move is part of a broader transformation that also includes a realignment of its London and Cirencester operations.
O’Carroll will report to CEO David MacMillan and step into a newly created role that replaces two regional Executive Creative Director positions. With senior leadership experience across some of the UK’s leading creative and CX agencies, his background spans integrated media ecosystems covering paid, owned, earned, and shared channels.
Over the course of his career, O’Carroll has earned major industry honours, including recognition from DMA, D&AD, and Cannes Lions. His portfolio includes key contributions to the relaunch of EE during his time at Digitas, CX leadership on British Airways at Uncommon Creative Studio, and the expansion of IKEA’s loyalty programme to millions of members while at M&C Saatchi and Lida. He has also held executive creative roles at TPA and Brands2Life, with earlier stints at Publicis, DDB, and AIS, and most recently worked in consulting and freelance capacities with networks such as Ogilvy, AMV, BBH, and House337.
Under his leadership, Havas Helia plans to reposition its offering around next-generation CX, introducing a new philosophy centred on delivering emotionally resonant, culturally relevant brand experiences. The agency aims to move beyond channel-based thinking to build connected customer ecosystems, using data, behavioural insights, and cultural intelligence to help brands engage audiences more authentically and at the right moments. A key focus will be on tapping into subcultures and fostering brand affinity through relevance and shared values rather than traditional reach-driven campaigns.
Alongside the leadership appointment, Helia has redefined the roles of its two offices. London will serve as the hub for strategy, creative, and client leadership, while Cirencester will evolve into a specialist centre for craft, innovation, creative technology, AI, data, and design. The new model consolidates previously overlapping teams into a single, unified structure designed to improve efficiency, reduce duplication, and strengthen end-to-end CX delivery.
The overhaul, backed by fresh investment, is the culmination of a transformation programme launched in 2024 to future-proof the agency and sharpen its creative and customer experience capabilities. According to the leadership team, the changes are intended to place creativity at the core of modern CX and enable more impactful, insight-driven brand engagement.
