Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison Group and VBAT to combine

14 Sep 2017

Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison Group and VBAT Combine to Form a Leading Global Brand Agency

LONDON and NEW YORK — Five of WPP’s brand consultancies and design agencies are coming together to create a leading global brand agency.

It will have a network of 750 people in over 20 countries, with client billings in excess of $100 million worldwide.

The new agency, which has not yet been named, will be led by Jim Prior as Global CEO and Simon Bolton as Executive Chairman. Prior is currently the CEO of The Partners and Lambie-Nairn and Bolton is currently CEO, Worldwide of Brand Union. The decision to bring the agencies together is part of a client-centric plan for growth. It will enable clients to engage with a wider array of specialists, provide a more connected set of services, and will make the strategic, creative and client-focused excellence of each of the five agencies accessible at scale.

It will combine Brand Union's strategic strength and global influence, The Partners' award-winning creative excellence, Lambie-Nairn's unparalleled history in identity and motion graphics, Addison's unique understanding of corporate audiences, content development and digital delivery and the premium packaging offer of VBAT (which will continue to operate under the VBAT name).

Jim Prior, Global CEO said, "Our clients and our industry are ready for change and by bringing these agencies together, we can serve clients across the full range of sectors, capabilities and geographies. This convergence builds the next generation brand agency and is motivated by the opportunities for growth—for our clients and for us."

Simon Bolton, Executive Chairman added, "Bringing our agencies together will instantly give our clients the benefit of scale and single point of access to a breadth of services that covers almost every aspect of brand and communications."

The new agency will launch in January 2018.

For more information, please contact:

Christina Mannatt
[email protected]
+1 (212) 336-3249

Inga Howell
[email protected]
+44 (207) 689 4616