Havas CX Appoints Customer Engagement Chief Strategy Officer

Following the launch of global customer experience network Havas CX in October, Havas is furthering its investment in customer experience with its first major leadership appointment for Havas CX. Liz Roche will take on the role of general manager, chief strategy officer for Havas helia CX. Roche formerly served as managing director, head of strategy for customer engagement agency Havas helia in Chicago, a role she took on earlier this year. Havas helia recently became part of the Havas CX network. In the new position, Roche will lead strategy for clients and internal teams across analytics, CX, digital, data and marketing technology across offices in Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Richmond. Roche will also serve as part of Havas CX's global leadership team, working closely with other leaders to set the network's global agenda while acting as a regional steward. "Since launching we've been working through what Havas CX looks and feels like in North America and have discovered amazing leaders in our midst," Stephanie Nerlich, who succeeded Paul Marobella as Havas Creative North America CEO following his departure in July, told Adweek. "Someone already in our business was identified as a real star in the network and someone we wanted to build the rest of the leadership team." In her previous role, Roche led Havas helia in Chicago with a focus on data-backed strategies. She explained that the role allowed her to scratch the surface of connection CX to creative but the new position will add a wealth of depth and breadth to the focus through bringing in more perspectives. Roche also represents the network's LGBTQ community as part of Havas' North America Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. "We have an interesting collection of experts which allows us to assemble the right team for right projects," she said, providing marketers with data-driven solutions that generate ROI. "We have consumers exposed to up to 10,000 brands per day and we need to be intentional about the way we interact with them and how we approach customer engagement and customer care in the world of digital. It's not just about paid media touchpoints but all engagements with customers, to make sure the brand stands out." Prior to joining Havas helia, Roche led global marketing solutions for Facebook's CPG retail vertical across shopper marketing, ecommerce and retail strategy. Her varied background also includes leadership roles at Groupon, LinkedIn and Conversant. "Because I have that [varied background] I can bring a different perspective in terms of what is actually possible," Roche said. "It helps me understand and see where those points of connective tissue can be found." Going forward, Roche said she intially plans to focus on Havas CX's strengths and continue to grow by carving out areas of expertise. She explained that Havas CX's AI-powered tool Arcadia allows it to perform sentiment analysis across each point of the customer journey. "Arcadia is a human approach of understanding not just what customers are doing but why," she said. "It can inform creative and even media decisions in a different kind of way." Although marketers were reluctant to make shifts at first, Roche said the changes brought about by the pandemic and consumer shifts to digital underscored the need for a continued focus on customer experience in the digital space and the need to connect customer care, marketing and inventory management. Nerlich views Havas CX's role as crucial the success of the broader Havas network. "There isn't a client or brief today that doesn't include some part of a CX experience," Nerlich said. "For us we see this as continued growth, it’s the future. We can't look backwards, this has to be about leaping forwards. From us that's starting with client-centric POV and clients are looking for this kind of consulting help."