SINGAPORE – Havas made major moves this week to secure its foothold in Indochina, headlined by the planned acquisition of Riverorchid by year-end, an award-winning independent agency with offices in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The French-based ad network also officially secured a majority stake in its franchisee partner Havas Media Vietnam, a media agency that employs 50 ad practitioners.
This will make Havas the only global group in the world with operations in all five countries of Indochina. This includes new operations in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, while boosting its operations in Thailand and Vietnam.
Around 250 people from Riverorchid will be coming over to Havas with a diverse skillset including advertising, media, PR, research and digital.
Meanwhile, Hung Do Trong, the current CEO of Havas Media Vietnam, will continue to helm the agency reporting to Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media Group APAC. Havas Media Vietnam currently offers digital and offline media planning and buying services through its offices based in Ho Chi Minh. The agency’s key clients include Unilever, Vietnam Airlines, Snofi & Masan.
“With over 230 million people in one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic regions, Indochina is a tremendously exciting market for Havas and its clients. Acquiring Riverorchid shows our commitment to growth in Asia Pacific and this is a significant step in that direction along with the acquisition of our historical affiliate Havas Media Vietnam,” commented Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré.
Riverorchid CEO, Pick Pimolsaengsuriya adds, “Our goal in Riverorchid has always been to offer clients the best in integrated communications services in Indochina, and we’ve focused on building a deep understanding of this region. Our partnership with Havas brings to us and our clients numerous technologies and processes, as well as an innovative culture which we are confident will help steer us to become Indochina’s premier agency.”
Riverorchid has won the highly regarded Campaign Asia Pacific Creative Agency of the Year Award Gold Trophy for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar for three years running. It also won both the Gold and Silver Awards for Media Agency of the Year for Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar in 2014.
