Chris Hirst

United Kingdom

"As agency leaders go, Chris Hirst is a breath of fresh air.

As global CEOs responsible for more than 8000 people in 68 integrated offices across five continents go, Chris Hirst is unique. His bold, laser-focused and refreshingly no-nonsense approach has seen him pen a best-selling business book – fittingly, No Bullsh*t Leadership – become one of the industry’s most prominent champions within the wider business community, and, arguably most surprisingly, turn around Havas. Hirst prioritised local excellence over a bloated global leadership team; transforming Havas’ creative talent, output and reputation; reshaping the network into complementary (not competing) disciplines; creating a modern, representative company that serves not just its clients, but its people and the communities it operates in; and winning more pitches – and in 2021 Havas: -Recorded its most creatively awarded year ever; -Was named Effies’ European Agency of the Year; -Ended the year #1 in both R3’s European and UK new business leagues, and #2 globally; -Posted 8% organic growth, with many agencies in key markets delivering 20% growth; -Launched two innovative ‘micro-networks’ covering PR and production, and grew a third, CX, which it launched to capitalise in the post-pandemic world. -And MUCH more. No other leader has had such a remarkable, transformative effect on their own network in such a short time. The Havas Creative of 2021 is unrecognisable from the unremarkable, dusty, easy-to-ignore network of years past. And that is why Hirst, the refreshingly ‘No Bullsh*t’ CEO, deserves to be named your Agency Leader of the Year 2021."