~ Paris craft meets Shobiz scale as Havas adds its 26th India expertise for premium brand experiences ~
Mumbai, September 2026: Havas India has launched Shortcut Shobiz India, a luxury and lifestyle experiential agency built with Paris-headquartered Shortcut and Havas India’s experiential arm Shobiz. The venture marks Shortcut’s India entry after Milan, and lands as Indias luxury market is pegged at $10–12.1 billion (McKinsey / Business of Fashion 2025 State of Fashion).
Farah Lauren Khan takes charge as Vice President, reporting to Sameer Tobaccowala, CEO, Shobiz. Khan brings 15+ years across experiential and brand strategy for names including Apple, Bvlgari, Cartier, Dior, Gucci, Hermès, Rolex and Rolls-Royce. The shop’s line “Experiences Designed with Artistic Intelligence” pairs French savoir-faire with Shobiz’s India production muscle across brand experiences, launches, exhibitions, corporate events and end-to-end execution. HQ is Mumbai, with regional offices in Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, SEA & North Asia, called it the 26th expertise in the One Havas India ecosystem: “India and France have long shared a strong commercial and cultural relationship, this partnership arrives at a particularly crucial moment when India’s luxury and lifestyle market is growing at an unprecedented speed.” Of Havas Indias 1,000+ clients, a sizeable luxury roster already sits in-house and more want in.
Christophe Pinguet, Co-Founder & Co-President, Shortcut (marking 30 years), said the partners are blending French savoir-faire, artistic intelligence, operational excellence and Indias remarkable creative talent.” Lionel Laval, Co-Founder & Co-President, Shortcut, framed the brief as a “new generation of immersive experiences for luxury, beauty, fragrance and lifestyle. Tobaccowala added that luxury audiences now expect experiences that are “thoughtful, immersive, and deeply authentic.
Marketing take: Indias luxury boom is forcing agencies past brochure events into curated presence. Havas is betting that French artistic IQ plus Shobiz scale is the unlock and that the 26th expertise won’t stay a side door for long.
