LBi to merge with Digitas

Interactive consultancy LBi, which was bought last year by Publicis Groupe in a deal worth £332 million, is to be merged with fellow Publicis consultancy Digitas.

DigitasLBi

The newly-merged consultancy will be called DigitasLBi and will, according to Publicis, combine the strength of Digitas in the US with that of LBi in Europe, as well as both consultancies’ strong positions in Asia.

The new consultancy will comprise 5700 employees in 25 countries.

A spokesman for LBi says that there are no immediate plans to merge LBi’s London office with that of Kitcatt Nohr Digitas, which is the UK arm of Digitas.

A merger team is currently being set up, which will look at issues including office alignment over the coming months.

Luke Taylor, former chief executive of LBi, has been appointed as chief executive of the newly-merged group, while Digitas chief executive Stephan Beringer will oversee the merger process.

Colin Kinsella will stay on as chief executive of Digitas North America, while Ewen Sturgeon remains as chief executive of LBi EMEA.

Maurice Lévy, chairman and chief executive of Publicis Groupe, says, ‘The combination of Digitas and LBi will create the world’s leading concentration of digital skills and competencies in the world.’

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