Havas makes senior appointments for GSK

Havas Asia Pacific has appointed Christian Pattman as global executive client director and Elissa MacDonald as global business director for the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) consumer-healthcare business it picked up last year.

GSK named Havas as its global digital and content partner as part of a roster consolidation in July. In APAC, the agency will manage 10 flagship brands in the oral health, pain relief and respiratory categories.

Pattman, previously director of healthcare for Havas APAC based in Sydney, will lead the overall GSK business in the region.

MacDonald, who led the local, Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific business for IBM Digital and Performance Marketing at Ogilvy & Mather for the last three and a half years, will be responsible for key brands globally and regionally.

Both will operate out of the Singapore hub, one of Havas’ three GSK global hubs (along with London and New York).

Pattman will report to Mike Amour, CEO of Havas Group in APAC, and Chris Slough, global business partner of GSK at Havas. MacDonald will report to Pattman.

In a release, Amour said Pattman's experience in the pharma category makes him the ideal leader for this role, while both he and MacDonald have strong digital credentials and experience running large global businesses.