Havas Sports & Entertainment Appoints Tove Okunniwa As CEO of UK Agency

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E), the brand engagement network of the Havas Group, has appointed Tove Okunniwa as the new CEO of Havas Sports & Entertainment UK.

A creative and experienced marketing and sponsorship professional, Tove will be responsible for overseeing daily business operations, client and partner relationships, strategy, and new business development for HS&E UK. She will lead a team of 30 sports and entertainment professionals who work with a number of leading brands and organisations including The Coca-Cola Company, The Football Association, The Lawn Tennis Association, Sport England, AEG, and Yahoo!.

She will report into Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO of HS&E, as well as Dominique Delport, Chairman of Havas Media UK, and Global MD of Havas Media Group (HMG). She will also join HMG UK’s Executive Committee, led by Paul Frampton, CEO of Havas Media UK, and Pedro Avery, CEO of Arena UK.

Tove joins HS&E after seven years at MEC Access UK, where she held the role of Managing Director, tripling the size of the division and delivering effective communication campaigns for clients such as Danone, Wrigley, Specsavers, Morrisons, and Sony Ericsson, amongst others, around their sport & entertainment partnerships.

Before going agency-side, Tove had a successful career at the BBC as Head of Marketing for BBC Sport and Head of Digital Marketing, as well as other marketing roles for Radio 3, Radio 2, and BBC TV.

Tove takes on the role of CEO from former Managing Director Gordon Lott, who leaves HS&E UK to pursue an entrepreneurial project in sustainability.

Speaking on this new appointment, Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO, HS&E, said “Our UK office plays a key role in the development of the HS&E network as a cornerstone for innovative thinking and our shift to a data-led approach.

Tove’s deep knowledge of sports & entertainment, combined with her extensive experience in digital, TV and radio channels, will build on and take our insights-led and integrated vision to the next level, making her the perfect choice to propel our agency forward.

Tove joins at a period of great growth for our UK agency, led by a talented leadership team, which has successfully delivered a variety of exciting projects, including the London stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour for The Coca-Cola Company. Tove will be supported by London-based strategic partners Seven46 as well as the entire HS&E global network, which spans 35 offices in 20 countries, and includes experiential marketing experts ignition.”

Dominique Delport, Chairman of Havas Media UK, commented: “Tove’s multi-channel experience means that she is uniquely positioned to understand HMG’s vision and added-value, and the importance of HS&E within our fully-integrated group. Her charisma, warm approach to managing teams and impressive achievements, including significant business growth in all of her roles, plus a number of industry awards and recognition, make us very proud to have her among the leadership of Havas Village in the UK. ”

Tove Okunniwa added: “I’m delighted to be joining HS&E at a time of such fantastic potential for the network. Joining a team of real talent in the UK and leading it in the next phase of its development is an exciting and challenging prospect. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity and look forward to playing my part in taking HS&E UK to the next level.”