Havas Group has acquired Inviqa–a leading U.K. independent digital experience agency–in a substantial, eight-figure deal. Inviqa, which comprises more than 150 employees across eight offices, will be integrated into Havas Creative’s dedicated customer experience network, Havas CX, to significantly expand its specialism, scale, and capabilities in experience design, software engineering, technology consulting, and ecommerce. As part of Havas CX, Inviqa will merge with Havas’ existing UK-based digital experience agency, ekino London. The combined company, which will be headquartered out of Havas’ UK Village in London’s King’s Cross, will retain the Inviqa brand and be led by Inviqa founder and CEO Yair Spitzer. ekino will continue to operate as a standalone brand within Havas CX in non-U.K. markets including France, New York and Singapore….
FCB has promoted Bella Patel to global chief talent officer. She succeeds Cindy Augustine who went to McCann Worldgroup. Patel joined FCB in 2006 and has led the human resources practice since 2011. Under her leadership as chief talent officer, FCB Chicago has attracted and fostered top talent that has helped fuel its recent business and creative resurgence. In the last year alone, the agency welcomed over 280 new faces with its most diverse new-hire class ever and raised its inclusion focus to have a greater impact on the culture of FCB’s largest and founding office. Prior to joining FCB, Patel worked as part of the human resources team at Raytheon Polar Services Company’s Antarctic program, as well as at Hyatt Hotels. As FCB’s global chief talent officer, Patel will partner with talent leads across the network’s offices to further fuel the agency’s culture of inclusion and its “talent above all else” approach to recruitment and retention. Patel, along with Mark Jungwirth, who was just promoted from FCB’s North America chief financial officer to global CFO, report directly to global chair and chief creative officer Susan Credle and global CEO Tyler Turnbull….
