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Aegis Makes Sustainability Buy
Synovate parent Aegis has announced the acquisition of pioneering sustainability consultant Clownfish, which will become part of its digital agency network Isobar, within Aegis Media.
The price has not been disclosed but is thought to be 'in the low millions of pounds', according to the Telegraph. Gross assets acquired are valued at £0.5m.
Clownfish, founded in 2002 by Diana Verde Nieto, now CEO, has offices in London and New York and will open in Shanghai in November. The firm offers consultancy services to audit companies and their supply chains in terms of their social and environmental impact, and designs and advises on promotional campaigns. It combines deep technical understanding of sustainable business practices with brand and communications expertise, and offers services including stakeholder evaluation, strategies to embed sustainability in the business, implementation of sustainable business processes and the conduct of corporate marketing programmes. Its proprietary products include self-assessment tool STEER.
Clownfish and Aegis Media already work closely together, and Aegis CEO Robert Lerwill comments: 'We know the Clownfish team well, and respect both their approach and the results they get'. He calls the deal 'a highly strategic investment in a high potential space'.
Nigel Morris, CEO of Isobar, says digital technology is helping to empower consumers 'as never before to probe the behaviour of companies and brands and to make demands on them', and believes that Clownfish is 'way ahead of anyone we have met' in this area.
The deal will allow Clownfish to 'scale up to meet our ambition', according to Diana Verde Nieto - 'to help more clients make a bigger positive impact on the world we live in. Of all the people we have worked with and talked to, Aegis has shown its commitment to sustainability.'
Web sites: www.aegisgroupplc.com , www.isobar.net and www.clownfish.co.uk .
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