Publicis Groupe officially completes $3.7 billion acquisition of Sapient to form Publicis.Sapient

Publicis Groupe S.A. today announced the completion of its acquisition of Sapient Corporation for total consideration of approximately $3.7 billion.

The acquisition of Sapient, initially announced November 3, 2014, is a truly transformative acquisition for Publicis Groupe. The deal is the largest and most strategic of its kind in the industry.

Publicis.Sapient will maximize the Groupe’s global footprint, accelerating its objective to be the

Business Transformation leader and will present a strongly positive impact on Publicis Groupe’s growth profile, with combined revenue in excess of €8 billion and over 75,000 employees worldwide.

Alan J. Herrick, Sapient’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, will lead Publicis.Sapient, as CEO. He will also serve as a member of Publicis Groupe’s “Directoire+”. Jerry A. Greenberg, Sapient founder and Board Co-Chairman will join Publicis Groupe’s Supervisory Board as an independent member. Alan Wexler, President, SapientNitro, and Chip Register, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Sapient Global Markets, will join Publicis Groupe’s P12 “Executive Committee.”

“This deal dramatically sharpens Publicis Groupe’s profile, establishing us as a leader in Marketing, Communication and Business Transformation,” said Maurice Lévy (top), Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO. Sapient’s marketing, technology and consulting capabilities, its strength in India combined with Publicis Groupe’s global presence, depth in creative, leadership in media, and digital will create a world leader with unmatched capabilities.

“Our clients are facing many adverse trends: from rising global competition, to new comers born from digital, and new paradigms in communications and marketing. With our new capabilities, we will be best positioned to help them transform their businesses and navigate the new world. Alan and his teams will bring tremendous talents to Publicis Groupe. I am extremely happy to have them on board, and very confident for our shared future.

“In a world marked by increased convergence, clients need a partner with a significantly more connected offering to help keep pace with a profoundly changing connected, empowered consumer. The addition of Sapient combined with Publicis Groupe’s digital, creative and media creates unmatched capabilities in marketing, omni-channel commerce and consulting, underpinned by tremendous depth of technology expertise.

Says Alan J. Herrick, CEO of Publicis.Sapient: “As we’ve talked about for many years, our ambition in building Sapient is to bring maximum impact for the clients we serve, the markets in which they operate and the industry overall. We at Sapient have tremendous ambition and have always committed to making a huge impact – whether it’s changing the way the world works or enabling human potential, we want to make a difference. Maurice Lévy and I, Publicis Groupe and Sapient, have a strong set of shared values, and a shared vision to tip an industry and create change. That opportunity exists now more than ever. The combination of our two companies and the creation of the Publicis.Sapient platform together create the most transformational offering in the market. No one is even close.”

Read the full details of the deal here