Havas’ New Growth Officer Has Digital Roots

Havas Worldwide has plucked an executive from the digital agency world to lead new business efforts in the U.S.

Laura Maness most recently was an svp in charge of business development and marketing at Propane Studio in San Francisco. At Havas, she takes the title of U.S. chief growth officer, a new position.

Maness, who started this week, is based in Chicago and reports to both North American president Ron Bess and global chief marketing officer Matt Weiss. Bess is based in Chicago, and Weiss, in New York.

In a statement, Bess cited Maness’ business acumen and collaborative spirit, adding that she has a “proven ability to visualize what an agency is capable of achieving and to map a clear path to get there.” Weiss described her simply as a "good hunter."

Before Propane Studio, Maness, 36, was director of business development at Draftfcb in San Francisco, leading new business efforts across the shop’s West Coast offices. Earlier in her career, she held new business and account management roles at digital shops such as Designkitchen (a unit of WPP Group’s Wunderman), Giant Step and Black Dog Interactive.