Roxana Ravjee joins Havas as its new CEO for the Africa region

She will lead the day-to-day operations across Havas’ African network, working closely with teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. 

As the group increases its investment in the African market, Ravjee will help to drive the next phase of the Havas growth strategy across the continent by strengthening collaboration and accelerating innovation. 

She succeeds Provit Chemmani, who has been in the role for the past two years. He will oversee a smooth leadership transition to Ravjee until the end of 2026, after which he will assume a global role. 

“Leadership is ultimately about knowing when a business is ready for its next evolution. I am incredibly proud of what we have built across Africa,” says Chemmani. “The talent we have developed, the relationships we have strengthened, and the culture we have created.  

“Roxana brings the experience, energy and perspective needed for this next chapter. I have every confidence that she will take Havas Africa forward with authenticity and ambition.” 

Ravjee joins Havas as a recognised African business leader with more than 20 years of experience across marketing, advertising, transformation and growth. Most recently, she served as CEO of Dentsu South Africa. 

She explains that “Africa has always been a continent driven by creativity, resilience and possibility. What excites me about this opportunity is being able to contribute to a business that recognises the power of people and the importance of meaningful work. Technology will continue to transform our industry, but our ability to understand people, solve real challenges and create connections that matter will always be our greatest strength.” 

Her experience includes being Executive Director of Publicis Groupe MMS Communications in South Africa and Managing Director of Publicis Groupe in South Africa.