Havas Immerse gets B Corp certification

Havas Immerse, part of Havas Group, has achieved a B Corp certification from non-profit network B Lab. A B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.

Havas Immerse began its certification process back in 2020 with the agency having to meet rigorous standards of accountability and transparency across five key areas including governance, workers, community, environment, and customers by enacting policies that reduce carbon emissions, providing fair and living wages to its staff, meeting ethical standards regarding practices in their supply chain, and giving back to their community.

A documented non-discrimination policy on employment and the workplace, mental healthcare for all staff in addition to the healthcare services covered by their healthcare insurance as well as recycling, reduce, reuse programs, are just a few examples of the measures that Havas Immerse has pushed out to meet the requirements set by B Corp.

To maintain the certification, the agency is required to undergo a verification process every three years to recertify, ensuring it is committed to it for the long term and not as a one-off achievement.

“At Havas, we continuously strive to make a meaningful difference in what we do, and in that having a key role to play by operating responsibly both for ourselves and our stakeholders. As a creative agency, we have the power to harness our creative ideas to result in positive action for our society, our clients, and our people,” said Andrew Lee, group managing director of Havas Immerse Malaysia.

“The B Corp certification will help us to continuously measure ourselves both internally and externally and ensure we are making the right impact,” added Lee.

Commending the team on the B Corp certification, Alberto Canteli, chairman of Havas Group, said: “More than ever, society has increasingly become more conscious environmentally and socially. Clients now expect agencies to be more aware and have a point of view on these issues. Being B Corp certified will not only be a differentiator when attracting both talent and new business in an increasingly competitive environment but will also ensure we walk the talk,”

“This is an excellent achievement for the team and our region as Havas Immerse now joins Havas UK, Havas London, Havas Lemz and Havas New York offices who are already BCorp certified following our group’s country by country certification approach,” added Canteli.

The beginnings of Havas Immerse can be drawn back to when Havas Group first acquired digital agency Immerse in 2017, to expand its capabilities in the Malaysian market. Immerse was set up in 2004 as a digital agency primarily specialising in providing strategic creative consultancy and digital marketing solutions. The then 50-people agency serviced a diverse portfolio of client brands in Malaysia and Singapore including Volvo, Mitsubishi Motors, F&N, Wrigley and a wide range of Unilever brands such as Dove and Magnum.

After being rebranded as Havas Immerse as part of Havas’ Together strategy, the agency has become an integral part of Havas Village Malaysia by contributing its digital prowess and client relationships to the Group’s robust creative and media offering in the market.

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