Havas Media has announced the appointment of Stuart Lunn to the newly created role of managing director of its Manchester office, as part of a wider investment programme in the regional hub.

Lunn joins Havas Media from Wienerberger AG, a global provider of building materials and infrastructure solutions, where he was marketing director. Prior to this, he was vice president for strategic projects at Manchester Airports Group (MAG). As a member of MAG’s executive board, he led the transformation of its digital marketing department from an agency-supported environment to an insourced model, with a team of 100 experts, in under a year.

In his new role, Lunn is tasked with leading and growing Havas Media’s business in key areas outside of London and ensuring it remains competitive, as part of a broader growth strategy for the regional hub. He will report to Matt Adams, CEO, Havas Group Media UK & Ireland.

Adams says, “Stu is a fantastic hire for us. He has an impressive depth and breadth of experience, working in agencies, media owners and as a client, and he’s massively well-connected. I’m very happy to see him taking on this new role as we increase our investment in Manchester and seek to further strengthen our regional offering.”

With over 20 years of commercial experience across agencies, media owners, management consulting and client organisations, Lunn has a proven track record in business development, planning strategy, media sales strategy and client service. He has previously held positions at Google, Facebook, OMD, Carat and Yell. He has also acted as an advocate for diversity and inclusion in several of his previous roles.