Havas S&E Acquire Sports Company Maverick Experience to Expand South African Operations

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E) have acquired local sport and entertainment company, viagra order Maverick Experience Exhilarator extending their South African operations into the existing HS&E South Africa team. 

Maverick specialises in sports marketing, sponsorship activation, events and brand experiences, and boasts an impressive client roster including brands such as Cell C, M-Net, MTN, Old Mutual, FNB, the T20 ICC Cricket World Cup, SuperSport, Standard Bank, EA Sports, FIFA, Cricket South Africa, the Pepsi IPL and the International Cricket Council.

Maverick has an extensive track record in major events, particularly in the cricket world through the International T20 Cricket and the Cricket World Cup, as most notably, for their work in creating the Standard Bank Pro 20 cricket series competition. 

Lynn Madeley, CEO of Havas Southern Africa said: “As a fast growing sports and entertainment network present worldwide, it was appropriate for us to be looking to expand in South Africa. Maverick’s positioning in the market and culture made it the logical choice.” 

Andrew Ross, MD of Maverick, will assume the role of Managing Director of HS&E South Africa as of 1 July 2013, taking over from Brad Jansen who, after four years leading the South African team, will assume a global position within the HS&E network based in Atlanta, USA, focusing on global clients including The Coca-Cola Company. Brad leaves behind a strong legacy in terms of the existing client roster and talent recruitment, leaving strong foundations for Andrew and his team. 

“Andrew is a charismatic, creative thinker who started Maverick over 15 years ago. We were looking for someone who would continue providing the strategic and creative solutions that HS&E is known for,” says Madeley. “It was equally important for us to bring someone on board who could add value to existing clients in the other Havas businesses, which we feel Andrew can do.” 

Andrew views this change as a new challenge for himself, as well as for his team. “We created unique opportunities for ourselves in the global sporting scene for over a decade. For us to grow, we needed access to a global strategy and footprint, which HS&E is well positioned to provide us and in turn, help us deliver against our collective ambition,” he added. 

Lucien Boyer, President & Global CEO of HS&E commented: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew and the rest of the Maverick team who bring local expertise, insight, and a great attitude that will help develop our offer. Andrew will have the full support and backing of our global network to build on the excellent work already achieved by HS&E in South Africa. It is important for us to keep the momentum going in this key market and continue to deliver innovative and strategic solutions that bring value to our clients.”