Havas Media Network has appointed Mitchell Long as its new Chief Strategy Officer. Long joins the agency after close to 13 years at Omnicom Media Group's PHD, where he has spent the last three years as National Head of Strategy.

During his tenure at PHD, Long worked with influential brands such as Google, Volkswagen, Unilever, Virgin Australia, and Chanel. He also contributed to the development of industry-relevant content for MFA EX over several years.

CEO of Havas Media Network, Virginia Hyland, said: "Mitch is a rare talent within our industry with a sharp focused mind that can unpack and develop business solutions for clients with compelling results. I have taken some time to identify and find the right candidate for this important role. Mitch will lead the strategic direction for Havas Media Australia and Havas PLAY. He will also play a pivotal role working alongside the Havas Village agencies to support our continued global focus creating a Converged operating system and data home platform for clients from across our Havas Village."

The appointment follows the promotion of Alastair Baker to Chief Planning Officer for the local market. It also comes on the heels of the French Holdco's announcement of a $400 million investment EU into data, tech and AI over the next four years to help realise its Converged strategy, and last the acquisition of Melbourne creative production and media shop Hotglue.

"In the face of industry fragmentation, Havas’ new Converged OS backed by their unique Village model holds opportunity to build much needed bridges between creative, media, production, and technology. As part of my role, I’ll be looking to evolve our strategy product to draw upon our unique strengths within Converged and across our breadth of Village capabilities all in the service of great ideas that real people care about and that live through every facet of a brand’s marketing ecosystem," said Long.