Havas London Names Elliot Harris Deputy ECD

Havas London has promoted Elliot Harris to the newly-created role of Deputy Executive Creative Director. Harris, who joined the agency in 2016 as Creative Director across its expanding portfolio of RB brands, will report into ECD Ben Mooge.

This appointment completes Havas London’s executive management team following a period of sustained growth for the creative agency. Harris, alongside Executive Strategy Director Clare Hutchinson and COO Steve Mills, will support Mooge, CSO Mark Sinnock and CEO Xavier Rees in the day-to-day-running of the agency, across its new business drive and in its increased collaboration with fellow Havas UK and Vivendi companies.

Since his arrival, Harris has been instrumental in building a multi-disciplinary team across Havas’ RB business, including Optrex, E45, Durex, Lemsip, Vanish and Gaviscon, raising the standard of both creativity and effectiveness of the work. His career spans more than 20 years, including Creative Director roles at McCann, Fallon and Brothers & Sisters, Senior Creative roles at WCRS, Work Club and Anomaly, and as DLKW Lowe’s Creative Group Head.

He has worked with brands including Cadbury, Sony, Sky Sports, Alfa Romeo, Microsoft, Xbox, Heinz, BMW, Mercedes and Burberry, winning a number of Cannes Grand Prix, D&AD Pencils, One Show and Art Directors Club of New York awards in the process.

He is also a keen advocate of young talent, mentoring students at the London School of Communications Arts – a number of whom are now employed by Havas – and nurturing creative talent within the agency.

Ben Mooge, ECD at Havas London, says: “Elliot has worked wonders on RB and I’m thrilled he’s now bringing his substantial creative and client handling skills to the rest of Havas London’s clients. He’s also a lovely bloke and the biggest champion of young talent I’ve ever met, something this new role will only exacerbate. This appointment only makes us a better agency.”

The Kings Cross agency has further bolstered its creative department with the hire of Creative Leads Stephen Cross and Simon Connor from mcgarrybowen. The pair, who start in June, have worked together for their entire professional career, having met while studying advertising at the University of the Arts, London.  

In the more than 10 years since then, they have worked as Creatives at The Fish Can Sing and Not Actual Size, and Creative Directors at Karmarama and mcgarrybowen. They also founded Two Fingers Brewing Co. in 2012, which is now stocked by retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, Ocado and Amazon and donates all its profits to Prostate Cancer UK. They have worked on brands including Honda (for which they created 2017’s ‘Over the Rainbow’ spot), Green & Blacks, BBC, Secret Escapes, Sky Bet, Blinkbox and Clydesdale Bank.

Mooge adds: “The best creatives are those which don’t just save their creativity for the office – and Simon and Stephen certainly fit that bill. On top of a hugely impressive reel of client work, they have founded their own beer brand, hijacked a Bank of England vote to make Raheem Sterling the new face of the £20 note, created White Ribbon Alliance’s iconic Glastonbury tattoos and ended up on Rude Tube’s Top Virals show. They’re the kind of creatives that the whole agency will love working with.”