DDB's Thomas Funk and Eric Schoeffler to Join Havas Worldwide Europe

Havas Worldwide today announced two key hires in Europe. Thomas Funk will be joining the agency as Managing Director of Europe, responsible for regional operations, with a focus on driving further growth and looking after the expansion of new services. Eric Schoeffler will be joining as European Executive Creative Director, overseeing creative delivery for clients and working closely with creative leaders around the globe to help further enhance the agency’s creative culture. 

Thomas Funk joins Havas Worldwide after nearly five years at DDB Group Germany, where he served as Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Funk was a member of the Global Board of RAPP, Omnicom’s CRM and digital network, based in London.

Eric Schoeffler has spent the past 17 years at DDB, with the last five as Chief Creative Officer for DDB Group Germany. He was also a member of the Global Creative Council at DDB Worldwide. His work has been recognized at every major awards show, and he has served as a jury member for numerous awards shows, including the Cannes Lions, the D&AD Awards, and the CLIO Awards.

During their tenure at DDB Germany, Funk and Schoeffler managed the merger with its digital sister agency, Tribal, creating a modern marketing agency. The pair has worked for a number of multinational clients, including Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom, Sony, Henkel, and eBay.

“I’m thrilled to have Thomas and Eric join our team,” said Chris Hirst, Europe CEO, Havas Worldwide. “Under their leadership, DDB Group Germany was transformed into an integrated agency with a strong creative reputation. Their vision and collaborative spirit will be integral to our continued success.”

Thomas Funk said, “Havas is giving us the freedom to create something new. This move is about finding innovative solutions beyond the traditional agency model. It’s very exciting.”

Both executives will report to Europe Chief Executive Officer Chris Hirst, who joined only a few months ago from Grey London. These hires are the latest in a string of recent leadership changes at Havas Worldwide Europe. Over the last six months, Havas Worldwide has taken several strategic steps to redefine the business and prepare for robust growth. Andy Sandoz and Ben Mooge, creative partners at Havas Work Club, were appointed as joint Executive Creative Directors of Havas Worldwide London. Additionally, Mark Sinnock, previously the group Chief Strategy Officer at M&C Saatchi, joined as European and UK Chief Strategy Officer.

“With Chris at the helm, we’ve been building incredible momentum in Europe,” said Andrew Benett, Global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group. “These recent appointments are yet another pivotal step toward optimizing the agency’s structure to further elevate our creative teams, strengthen our offering, and accelerate growth across the region.”