• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 26, 2010

Havas Media North America, the parent of MPG and Havas Digital, has established an in-house unit to handle “corporate trading� and barter media deals. The news follows WPP’s announcement last week of the launch of GroupM’s new “The Midas Exchange,� and increasing demand from clients who need to liquidate surplus inventories that can be converted into media.

 

Havas said the new, unnamed unit was established due to client demand, and will be headed by Mike O’Hara, a barter media veteran who joins as managing director-corporate trading, Havas Media.

O’Hara had been senior vice president-sales manager at Omnicom’s ICON International, and executive vice president-sales at Argent Trading.