David Cameron’s ad man gets top job at Havas
THE ADVERTISING executive behind David Cameron’s election campaign has been given the top job at French advertising group Havas.
David Jones, who helped hand Cameron the keys to Number 10 as his ad man, will become chief executive of the firm following the shock resignation of its chief executive yesterday.
In an unexpected move, Fernando Rodés told the group’s board of directors of his plan to quit, as the company discussed its full-year results.
The firm said Rodés had quit to “give a new direction to his personal and family entrepreneurial activities” but that he would “remain associated” with the group.
Havas, the fifth largest advertising group in the world, reported a 20 per cent increase in net profit to €110m (£97.4m) on revenues of €1.56bn.
Jones, who currently heads up Havas’ flagship Euro RSCG advertising agency, will become one of a handful of foreign leaders of French firms.
A Francophile, Jones will also be one of the youngest chief executives in the global advertising industry.
During the 2010 general election campaign he worked closely with David Cameron and his former communications director Andy Coulson.
He was the creative spark behind Cameron’s “dad’s nose, mum’s eyes, Gordon Brown’s debt” campaign but not the infamous “I’ll cut the deficit – not the NHS” poster series.
His RSCG firm has been the Conservatives’ ad agency since 2007 and also counts US food giant Kraft and carmaker Peugeot as clients.