Blog

Use the power of data, technology and creativity to build major American brands through craft and culture. Havas Chicago group has hired three key executives to expand the agency’s leadership team. Former Facebook Executive Liz Roche joins Havas Helia, a digital agency that uses data to create an optimized customer experience as a managing director. The creative agency has also appointed Dan Baldino and Marianna Ruiz as Managing Director and Group Creative Director, respectively.

“The forces that shape our customers' business are constantly changing, especially now in the New Economy according to COVID-19. It is our top priority to have the best and most modern talent in our agency, ”said Paul Marobella, Chairman and CEO of Havas Creative North America. "By adding Liz, Dan, and Marianna to the Havas Chicago family, we are reaffirming our commitment as creative consultants that combine craft, culture, and commerce to help our customers grow their brands."

As CEO of Havas Helia Chicago, Roche will manage data-driven strategies, CRM strategy and implementation, loyalty program management, and marketing technology consulting for the Chicago Group's customers. She will report directly to Michael Kaushansky, President of Havas Helia and Chief Data Officer of Havas in the United States.

With experience at some of the leading technology companies in Chicago, Roche comes from Facebook, where she worked at Global Marketing Solutions and managed and expanded the company's largest CPG retail portfolio. Before Facebook, Roche was the head of customer development at Epsilon conversant and led the company's vertical B2B growth strategy. At the beginning of her career, she spent time as an account lead LinkedIn and Groupon.

Together with the Helia team, Roche and Kaushansky will work with Havas Chicago Village to further integrate data and technology with creative, strategic and media capabilities for customers. Havas Chicago works with American cult brands such as Citi, Hefty, Moen, National Association from estate agents, Pillsbury to bake, Ragu pasta sauce and Reynolds consumer Products, amongst other things.

Baldino, a former consultant and founder, brings more than 30 years of brand strategy experience to both agency and client roles in his new role as CEO at Havas Chicago. Baldino founded before Havas Youtility, a consultancy that helps companies build stronger brands by delivering results-driven marketing advice and strategic moderation.

Baldino was previously Senior Vice President at Leo Burnett International in Chicago and London, where he worked with customers, among others Kellogg, Harrahs and Nintendo. Baldino founded and was also director of Leo Burnett innovations, lion Burnetts in the house brand strategy and design group Specializing in new product innovations.

Ruiz Bumerangs will return to Havas Chicago as the group's creative director after assuming a senior creative leadership role FCB Global. In her new role, Ruiz will work on Moen and the agency Mizkan (Bertolli and Ragu Pasta Sauce) accounts. She previously worked as a copywriter Havas Worldwide, Conception for brands like Hefty and Jim beam.

Ruiz was then Vice President and Creative Director at FCB Global. There she posed, won and worked on several customer accounts, including T mobile, GE appliances and Michelob Ultra Pure Gold. Ruiz helped create Michelob Ultra Pure Gold's first Super Bowl commercial “The Pure Experience” with actress Zoë Kravitz in 2019.