Havas CEO David Jones speaks of surprise at reported Omnicom-Publicis merger as speculation grows
Havas CEO David Jones has spoken out on news of a possible merger between Publicis and Omnicom, describing any deal as “massively interesting and surprising” and questioning whether it would be in the best interests of the agencies’ clients.
Merger: Havas CEO David Jones spoke of his surprise
The two agencies have yet to confirm speculation around a merger but an announcement is expected on Sunday afternoon.
Jones said in a statement: “I’m not sure this is in the best interests of their clients or their talent. Clients today want us to be faster, more agile, more nimble and more entrepreneurial, not bigger and more bureaucratic and more complex.
“It’s a massively interesting and surprising move. The industry’s obsession with mergers and acquisitions still amazes me, particularly in a world where digital and technology have made scale irrelevant.”
Reports from Bloomberg over the weekend cited an unidentified source revealing merger talks were in late stages.
Both companies have reported healthy financial statements and analysis suggests the merger will allow them to overtake WPP in size while clearing the path to allow company CEOs Maurice Levy and John Wren to retire.
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Havas
Havas SA is a French multinational advertising and public relations company, headquartered in Paris, France. Havas operates in more than 100 countries.
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Omnicom Group
A global leader in marketing communications, Omnicom provides brand and advertising services to over 5000 clients in over 100 countries.
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