Kat Thomas to Depart Havas’ One Green Bean

​Havas has revealed Kat Thomas, founder and chief creative officer of One Green Bean, will step down from her role and depart the agency group later this year.

Kat founded One Green Bean in Sydney in 2007 and has led the agency for 18 years – expanding it into a multi-award-winning consultancy which was acquired by Havas in 2011. Under her leadership in Australia, the business was named Agency of The Year annually for a decade, and became the first Australasian PR agency to win a Cannes Lion for PR. In 2015, Kat relocated to London to launch the UK business, which will celebrate its ten-year anniversary in September 2025.

One Green Bean has built and maintained a reputation for creative ideas that earn attention and drive conversation, delivering culturally resonant work for many iconic brands including Domino’s, Virgin, Tourism Australia, Reckitt, Vodafone, Sky and Hotels.com. Kat is an active member of the creative and communications industry in the UK, having sat as the president of the PR Lions Jury in Cannes in 2024 and supports many mentoring initiatives and global creativity programmes.

Leadership of One Green Bean’s UK and Australian operations will continue under the existing senior management teams, with Richard Tompkins (MD, London) and Amber Abott (CEO, Sydney) continuing to lead the agency in their respective markets. They will report to James Wright, group CEO Havas ANZ, global CEO Havas Red and global chair Havas PR Network.

Kat Thomas said, “When I started One Green Bean in 2007, my mission was simple - to disrupt the traditional earned agency landscape in Australia with the delivery of culturally sharp ideas that people would talk about. 18 years later, I’m so proud of what we’ve built: an agency that’s consistently delivered for many of the world’s biggest brands, all powered by the exceptional, energetic teams in both Sydney and London.

“It's been an immensely hard decision. But with our talent in both businesses firing on all cylinders and a roster of clients who are utterly brilliant people and partners, it feels like the right time for me to pass the baton into some very capable hands.

“I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues in London and Sydney - past and present - for standing alongside me for the best 18 years of my life. I depart with total confidence in the management team on both continents. I close with a sincere thank you to Havas for the partnership and belief in what we set out to build together. I will miss everyone enormously. I intend to abuse guest privileges at the Havas bar night for many years to come.”

Mark Whelan, Havas UK chairman and group chief creative officer, said, “In One Green Bean, Kat has built something very special – and leaves behind an agency and legacy to be proud of. I’d like to thank her for her hard work, comradery and occasional mischief over the years. She’s ensured the team is excited to move forward into the agency’s next chapter and I wish her all the very best for the future”.

Kat will continue in her role for the coming months to support a seamless transition of leadership.