Claire Knapp, the chief executive of Havas Lynx UK, is expanding her remit to take on oversight of the agency’s New York operation as part of a significant leadership overhaul.
Knapp, who has spent more than 15 years at Havas Lynx, will relocate to New York while continuing to divide her time between the US and the UK.
Her career at the healthcare communications agency has spanned strategy, innovation, client partnership and business growth across both global and regional functions.
The restructure has resulted in the departure of two senior figures, with president Joanna Ruiz and chief creative officer Megan Skelly both leaving the agency.
Ruiz had joined Havas Lynx in April 2025 following a three-year tenure at Deloitte Digital, making her stay at the agency a relatively brief one.
Alongside the expansion of Knapp’s role, Havas Lynx has appointed Bruno Rebelo as its new chief creative officer for New York.
Rebelo joins from Grey Health New York, where he held the same chief creative officer title, and brings more than two decades of industry experience to the position.
His background covers a wide range of therapeutic categories, including oncology, mental health, rare diseases, disease awareness and consumer health.
Rebelo will report into Eric Weisberg, who serves as global chief creative officer of Havas Health, placing the new hire firmly within the group’s broader creative leadership structure.
The appointment marks the second major leadership shake-up at Havas Lynx New York in just over 16 months, signalling continued efforts by the network to sharpen its competitive position in the US healthcare communications market.
Knapp has indicated she sees artificial intelligence as a key differentiator for the agency as it looks to build on recent momentum and strengthen its New York presence.
Havas Lynx operates within the wider Havas Health network, which sits under the global Havas Group umbrella and serves pharmaceutical and healthcare clients across multiple markets.
The changes reflect a broader trend across healthcare communications agencies, where holding groups are consolidating leadership structures to drive greater integration between their UK and US operations.