Havas New York Appoints First Chief of Social Impact

Havas’ North American flagship agency doubles down on purpose with new role, using advertising as a force for good

Further enforcing its mission to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and in people’s lives, Havas New York announced the addition of Lindsay Stein as its first Chief of Social Impact. Stein’s appointment is the first of several purpose-focused announcements to come out of the agency before the end of the year.

With deep experience across media, advertising and philanthropy, Stein joins the North American flagship agency’s executive leadership team, helmed by CEO Laura Maness, who has been on a quest to champion change, raise creative consciousness and advocate for women and the broader DE&I community across the advertising industry and beyond. This role solidifies Havas New York’s pursuit for driving continuous positive social change and impact.

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“I’m thrilled to have someone as passionate and mission driven as Lindsay take on this leadership role and move Havas and our clients forward in a meaningful way.”

“In today’s society, purpose and profit do not need to be mutually exclusive—and advertising is no exception. In fact, the expectation is they work together to meet the needs of both motivating talent to feel good about what they’re working for, and reinforcing for brands that doing good is the business differentiator of the future,” said Maness. “I’m thrilled to have someone as passionate and mission driven as Lindsay take on this leadership role and move Havas and our clients forward in a meaningful way.”

As Chief of Social Impact, Stein is charged with partnering with marketers and organizations to help them leverage their own values in order to create research-based social impact solutions that drive tangible change. Stein will also help reframe the metrics around how success is measured by developing custom social impact workshops, initiatives and projects that make a measurable difference.

Additionally, Stein will align and coordinate all purpose-based efforts internally to inspire a revitalized commitment to good and energize a community of culturally conscious thinkers. From the top down—team-building activities and creative campaigns, to internal philanthropic efforts and external messaging—employees will see, feel and embody the true meaning of social impact within the entire Havas framework.

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“Brands and organizations have the power to effect significant, positive change in the world—change that is just as good for business as it is for society. The time for social impact is now,” said Stein. “Being able to marry my professional expertise with my passion for purpose feels like a dream come true, especially doing so at a company that truly cares about making a meaningful difference and alongside Laura Maness, who I’ve long respected for her strong, empathetic leadership and values-based approach to business.”

Most recently, Stein served as the CEO of nonprofit Today, I’m Brave, dedicated to unlocking bravery in today’s youth so they can take on the challenges of tomorrow. Since taking the helm last summer, Stein has helped the organization define three pillars of inspiration and change, including diversity, equity and inclusion, education, and health and wellness. This July, Stein spearheaded the launch of Today, I’m Brave’s inaugural Brave Camp, an event that brought together individual donors and over 100 advertising agencies and production companies to fund low-income and BIPOC youth to attend a transformative week-long event designed to inspire self-confidence and bravery through immersive wilderness experiences and a curated Brave Curriculum.

Prior to Today, I’m Brave, Stein served as the U.S. editor for Campaign Magazine, the world’s largest advertising trade publication, where she worked for several years to celebrate the industry, while helping to elevate it by holding agencies and brands accountable for doing work in the right way. During her time at Campaign, she launched the Female Frontier Awards and Power of Purpose Awards, evolved the Inclusivity and Creativity Awards and 40 Over 40 competition, and kicked off an agency-wide maternity and paternity report. Before Campaign, Stein was a reporter at Ad Age for three years, focusing on creativity, marketing and media. She also previously spent five years at PRWeek, covering consumer marketing and communications.

The news of Stein’s appointment follows on the heels of multiple back-to-back account wins for Havas New York that focus on a need for pressing social change. These wins include global commercial real estate services company JLL, which was recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies, Citizens Committee for New York City, a nonprofit that helps New Yorkers come together to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood, and NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic health care delivery systems. These organizations and Havas share values around making a meaningful difference and shaping their respective industries for a better world.

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