To be headquartered in Singapore, Ecselis will be led by Rajeev Bala as managing director, Asia-Pacific. This new role is a promotion from Bala's current position as regional director of Media Contacts for Southeast Asia. Havas has no immediate plans to replace him.
Bala will report to Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Havas Media Asia-Pacific.
The agency is in the process of hiring senior executives for the KL and Sydney offices, which are scheduled to be up and running by the end of the second quarter.
Launched in India in 2009, Ecselis has a team of 55 and clients across Southeast Asia, India, Europe, and Australia.
"The need for advanced quantitative and performance orientated skill sets is growing rapidly," Mohan commented. "Bala has done a great job of building Media Contacts in the region, and has the deep domain and consultative expertise to grow Ecselis as we expand our digital footprint across the region."