Havas Ortega expands Gian Dela Cruz's role to lead creativity and experience integration

Havas Ortega has elevated Gian Angelo Dela Cruz (pictured) to the newly expanded role of creativity and experience lead and strategy director, underscoring the agency’s commitment to advancing insight-driven creativity and human-centred brand experiences.

In this dual position, Dela Cruz will spearhead the convergence of creativity and experience across the Havas Ortega Village - bridging strategy, media, data, PR, and creative to deliver cohesive, culturally resonant campaigns. He will continue to oversee the strategy and insights group, which anchors the agency’s business, brand, and communications strategies through data-informed and culture-first thinking.

With more than 14 years of experience, Dela Cruz has built a reputation for crafting meaningful campaigns for brands including Sun Life, Big E Corporation, Philippine Airlines, Reckitt, and SM Retail. Since joining Havas Ortega in 2017, he has played a pivotal role in shaping strategic direction, producing award-winning work such as The Kita Initiative, and co-authoring thought leadership pieces exploring prosumer mindsets on sustainability, health, and subcultures.

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“Gian’s promotion is a testament to his ability of bridging the power of insight, creativity, and experience, together,” said Jos Ortega, chairman and CEO of Havas Ortega. “He has been at the forefront of our ongoing transformation - helping brands find deeper and more meaningful cultural relevance, while continuing to inspire more creative excellence across the Village.”

Dela Cruz said his expanded role reflects the agency’s evolving vision: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help expand Havas Ortega’s vision of meaningful creativity across disciplines. In a world where data and culture evolve rapidly, our task is to unfailingly converge human truth and creative innovation - to design experiences that move people and drive real impact in their lives.”

Through this appointment, Havas Ortega continues to strengthen its leadership team while reinforcing its Meaningful Brands philosophy - integrating strategy, data, and creativity to deliver more connected, human-centric brand experiences in the Philippines and beyond.

Outside the agency, Dela Cruz also serves as a subject matter expert at Certified Digital Marketer and has represented Havas Ortega in Havas APAC Emerge and Havas Lofts Flex Singapore, both leadership and incubation programmes designed to accelerate talent development across the region.

Late last month, Havas Ortega appointed Raymond “Rai” Dizon as general manager - head of business growth and experience, further strengthening its leadership team as it sharpens its integrated model. Dizon is set to drive business growth and client experience initiatives, working alongside Phil Tiongson, general manager - head of systems, data, strategy, and analytics, to bridge creativity, data intelligence, and experience-led transformation for clients.

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