Publicis Groupe Acquires Sapient

Publicis Groupe and Sapient today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Publicis Groupe will acquire Sapient in an all-cash transaction for $25.00 per share. The agreement has been approved unanimously by the Management and Supervisory Boards of Publicis Groupe and the Board of Directors of Sapient. 

Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: “Sapient is a ‘crown jewel,’ a one of a kind company born in the technology space with strengths in marketing, communications, consulting and omni-channel commerce, all of which are equally important to best help clients achieve their digital transformation. It will also give Publicis Groupe access to new markets and creating new revenue streams. 

This acquisition fulfills many of Publicis Groupe’s objectives: we will enhance our leadership position in digital, achieve our goal of deriving 50% of our revenues from digital and technology three years ahead of our 2018 plan, and leverage technology, consulting capabilities to expand in new verticals, and offering new and exciting opportunities to our talents.”

Alan J. Herrick, Sapient President, CEO and Co-Chairman, added: “This transaction provides substantial value to our shareholders, offers an ideal cultural match for our people and provides an opportunity to share a wealth of new capabilities with our clients. The Sapient team has been on a 24-year journey building a company with the objective of creating significant impact for our clients and the industries in which they operate. With Publicis Groupe, we have found a partner that accelerates the level of transformation we can drive into the marketplace.”

With the addition of Sapient, Publicis Groupe will be the leading global communication, marketing, omni-channel commerce and technology group with combined revenue in excess of €8 billion, combined EBITDA of approximately €1.3 billion and over 75,000 people worldwide.

Publicis.Sapient will be Publicis Groupe’s newly created platform focused exclusively on digital transformation at the convergence of communication, marketing, commerce and technology. 

Leveraging the capabilities of SapientNitro, Sapient Global Markets, Sapient Government Services, DigitasLBi, Razorfish Global and Rosetta, Publicis.Sapient will be the unique global platform, delivering profoundly transformational services to clients through a model that has unmatched reach and capabilities.