Havas Media Network North America has appointed Sharona Sankar-King as chief data and product officer, the agency told ADWEEK.
Sankar-King joins from marketing services firm Harte Hanks, where she served as chief customer and data officer, and will report directly to North America CEO Greg James. The hire gives Sankar-King oversight of Converged.AI, the agency’s proprietary AI platform, and its broader analytics practice across the U.S. and Canada.
Sankar-King’s appointment comes as Havas accelerates investment in AI infrastructure and positions Converged.AI as a differentiator in a market increasingly defined by data complexity and privacy fragmentation.
“The industry has shifted dramatically over the past 18 months, with AI, data, and product innovation converging at speed,” James said. “We conducted a thoughtful search to find a leader who could unify AI strategy, product development, and client impact under one vision. She brings a rare blend of consulting rigor, agency experience, and deep AI expertise to lead Converged.AI forward.”
Sankar-King brings more than 25 years of experience across agencies, consultancies, and marketing services firms. Before Harte Hanks, she spent over six years as an expert partner at Bain & Company, leading global work in customer engagement, marketing transformation, and AI-driven growth. Her agency background includes senior roles at BBDO, where she served as EVP and head of marketing science, and GroupM, where she led digital media optimization and advanced analytics across North America.
In her new role, Sankar-King will oversee Havas’ analytics practice and lead Converged.AI, the agency’s AI platform that connects 23,000 people across its global network. Since its launch two years ago, the platform has served as the foundation for tools like AVA, a no-code application launched at CES in January that lets staffers build and share AI workflows across the company. James describes it as the backbone of Havas’ AI-powered organization.
Sankar-King signaled her near-term focus will be on scaling what the agency has already built. “My focus is simple: accelerate our ability to deliver intelligence-led solutions at scale,” she said. “Clients aren’t looking for more noise; they’re looking for clarity, foresight, and solutions that actually solve real business problems.”
She was pointed about where the broader industry is falling short: “Most agencies focus on surface-level AI applications — automating tasks, building shiny demos, or experimenting in silos — without addressing the systemic issues that prevent AI from delivering real value: fragmented data, disconnected workflows, insufficient infrastructure, and a misunderstanding of AI’s role in augmenting human capability.”
