Case Study

How Havas Is Building the AI-First Agency Network

From centralized development to 72% proficiency globally – and a clear roadmap for what comes next.
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“AI adoption is as much a cultural transformation as a technological one, which is why we provide Section to all 23,000 of our people.” 

- Dan Hagen, Global Chief Data and Technology Officer, Havas

By the numbers

72%

of employees certified as AI-proficient

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100%

AI proficiency in multiple countries

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50%

Daily Active User target for next 12 months

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The quick summary

Havas is one of the world's largest agency networks, operating across dozens of countries with different clients, ways of working, and cultural nuances. Through the group’s Converged.AI strategy, Havas has committed over €400 million to buy and build data, tech, and AI capabilities that empower Havas’ 23,0000 people to work smarter and faster while unlocking value for clients. 

Havas’ strategy is built upon the belief that human creativity is what ultimately wins hearts and minds on behalf of clients. Converged.AI is as much about investing in Havas’ people as it is about investing in technology; Dan Hagen, Global Chief Data and Technology Officer, knew Havas needed to go beyond a central team of AI experts to realize this vision. He approached Section to offer tailored AI coaching to employees across roles and geography, democratizing AI access and development so planners, strategists, creatives, and buyers can use AI to address real client needs. 

Six weeks after launching Section Coach across the network with a dedicated launch day, Havas is at 72% proficiency – with multiple countries already at 100% – and a transformation roadmap that goes well beyond certification.
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About Havas

Industry: Advertising & Media

Company size: Global network

Location: Worldwide

Section use case: 
AI Maturity Diagnostic, Section Coach, AI Transformation Planning

The challenge

From early adoption to company-wide integration

Havas's AI challenge wasn't unique, but at the scale of a global agency network, the consequences of getting it wrong were significant. The Section diagnostic told a clear story. Havas had:

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Genuine curiosity and interest in AI across the network

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Senior leadership actively engaged with the strategic importance of AI

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Existing tools deployed across agencies

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74% of employees reported no AI strategy

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Only 18% said AI use was expected in their role

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54% reported no approach to AI implementation

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"Section’s platform has taught me skills. It's taught me new ways to approach AI. As the teams at Section are continually evolving the platform, we're finding new use cases as time goes by."

- Dan Hagen, Chief Data and Technology Officer, Havas

The diagnosis

Enthusiasm without infrastructure equals expensive drift.

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The proposal

The Section partnership

Dan found Section independently, before any company-wide program existed. He signed up for a course, Become an AI Leader in a Day, and describes it as a genuine turning point.
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"It was a real aha moment. I was taught really simple applications to get myself into using AI – as a partner for thinking, as a way of synthesizing information, as a way of synthesizing my own thoughts. That was a real unlock for me, and it enabled me to accelerate my journey with Havas in terms of the transformation we're trying to drive.” 

- Dan Hagen, Chief Data and Technology Officer, Havas

Dan believed if the CDTO could go from dabbling to genuinely capable through Section, the platform could do the same for the network. The partnership that followed was built around that premise: meet people where they are, give them a clear path, and make the expectation real.

The partnership covers:
AI Maturity Diagnostic
Section conducted an organization-wide assessment to establish an honest baseline on proficiency, usage, and the specific gaps blocking progress
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AI Transformation Planning
Section helped set a comprehensive roadmap covering the three pillars Havas needs to execute in parallel: AI Enablement Foundation, AI First Workforce, and AI Powered Agencies
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Section Coach
Section is the core platform for Havas’ AI proficiency certification, deployed across the Havas network with a goal of moving from basic to advanced proficiency over the course of the year.
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Ongoing partnership
Section is working with Havas on an ongoing basis to support their AI transformation, offer guidance, and help them hit their ambitious KPIs.
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Why this matters

Lessons from 
Agital + Section

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Start with a validated baseline, not assumptions.

Agital knew they needed external validation of their AI proficiency before building toward anything. Assumptions about "where the org is" consistently overestimate adoption and miss the specific gaps that matter for program design.
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Solve the manager layer before you launch champions.

Agital's clearest lesson: champions without accountable managers above them will plateau. AI adoption must be a leadership behavior, not just an individual one.
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Separate your AI tracks.
Conflating technical AI product development with org-wide enablement creates confusion. Agital's two-track model – with coordinated governance – keeps both moving without collision.
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Activation is the step most companies skip.
Agital had a strong diagnostic and a solid transformation plan. Re-engaging Section specifically for activation (moving from plan to practice) reflects a realistic understanding of where AI programs actually break down.
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Why this matters

Lessons from
Havas + Section

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The leader has to go first, personally.
Dan's individual journey through Section – not as a sponsor, but as an actual user – gave him both the credibility to push for network-wide adoption and the firsthand understanding to design it well. The transformation started with his own learning.
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A shared foundation is what makes scale possible.
The diagnostic revealed that Havas's adoption problem wasn't motivation – it was the absence of a common standard, expectation, and path. Building that foundation is what makes the Superagency vision executable rather than just ambitious.
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Create a moment, not just a rollout.
Havas held Section Coach Day, a dedicated date for the whole company to get certified in AI. Leaders gathered. Communication went out. Teams were given protected time on the day to complete their proficiency certification. The combination of a structured launch and a specific day created a strong organizational signal to invest in AI.
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Certification creates cultural permission.
Havas’ certification numbers moved quickly – reaching 72% proficiency in just a few months – but the cultural signals were equally telling. Employees started posting their AI proficiency badges on LinkedIn. Dan started getting calls from people saying Section Coach had taught them skills they didn't expect. The certification created a common language and a shared sense of progress that spread across the agency network. 
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Meet people where they are, then raise the bar.
The roadmap Havas is executing doesn't skip steps. Basic proficiency first, then advanced. Foundation before workflows. Individual capability before agents. That sequencing is what makes ambitious 12-month targets credible rather than aspirational.
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Hold executives accountable.
Havas has integrated AI into CEO-level MBOs, so executives are responsible for driving 50% AI proficiency among their teams. This ensures that AI proficiency is driven at every level of the organization.
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Make

AI

a practice your team can run.

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