Hayward joins from BETC Worldwide, where he was the global development director since 2011, and has relocated from Paris to New York for the newly created role.
He will be responsible for KBS’s agencies around the world and charged with accelerating global growth.
The creation of the position follows the group’s 2014 entry into the UK (through its acquisition of Albion) and China. KBS now has offices in New York, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto and Shanghai.
Hayward said: "Over the past few years, KBS has created an agency capable of creating seamless modern communications.
"And when I talked to Lori [Senecal, the global executive chairman of KBS and president and chief executive of its owner, MDC Partner Network] and she mentioned the expansion plans, I thought it would be right up my street."
Senecal added: "What I love about Guy is that his values clearly align with those we care about deeply at KBS. He’s an entrepreneur with a passion for building standout companies and has always had a creative-first mindset."
