Havas has announced the acquisition of Klareco Communications, a corporate, financial and strategic communications consultancy headquartered in Singapore.

Klareco, known for advising on notable financial transactions and cyber-attacks in Singapore, will become part of H/Advisors, Havas's global strategic communications advisory network. Upon closing, the agency will be known as H/Advisors Klareco.

The news follows the successful launch of H/Advisors in Dubai in early 2023, as well as its recent acquisition of Australian Public Affairs (APA) in September 2023.

The H/Advisors Klareco leadership team includes CEO and Co-Founder, Ang Shih-Huei, and Managing Director and Co-Founder, Mark Worthington. Both Shih-Huei and Mark will join the Asia Board to help lead the expansion of H/Advisors in the Asia Pacific region.

Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and Global CEO, Havas, and Chairman, Vivendi, said: “Our partnership with Klareco allows us to draw on their breadth of experience and knowledge of the Asian market as we continue to expand our Havas presence in APAC. We are delighted to welcome the well-respected Klareco team onboard and look forward to achieving great things together.”

Stéphane Fouks, Executive Chairman, H/Advisors, and Vice President, Havas, said: “2023 has been an outstanding year of growth for H/Advisors, with the opening of our Dubai office and the acquisitions  of CV&A (Portugal) & APA (Australia) and now our partnership with Klareco, which will strengthen our offering not only in APAC but globally. Klareco is the leading communications advisory in Southeast Asia, and we are delighted to welcome Shih-Huei, Mark and the talent and experience they will bring to H/Advisors.”

Ang Shih-Huei, CEO and Co-Founder of H/Advisors Klareco said: “As an independent firm, we have already been working with some of the largest MNCs and leading Asian-headquartered companies. H/Advisors allows us to deepen our core communications offering across corporate, financial, digital and public affairs, and expand our expertise in fast-growing areas such as sustainability and change communications, to ensure we continue to deliver best practice for our clients. Our teams are excited for this new chapter ahead.”

Mark Worthington, Managing Director and Co-Founder of H/Advisors Klareco said: “We are delighted to partner with H/Advisors to enhance our standing as a landing point for international firms coming to, or expanding in Asia. Increasingly, boards and management face complex communications challenges as they expand internationally. We are excited to build on our offering to support these challenges, ensuring we have expertise and relationships in the markets our clients need.”