MAM
Publicis launches Razorfish in India with Neev acquisition
MUMBAI: France-based media communications group Publicis Groupe has acquired Bengaluru-based technology services provider Neev as part of launching its digital entity Razorfish in India.
The agency will operate as Razorfish Neev led by Neev CEO Saurabh Chandra. He will report into Razorfish and Digitas India managing director Kanika Mathur with a direct connection to Razorfish global CTO Ray Velez.
Neev specialises in eCommerce, SaaS (Software as a Service) and cloud applications across web, social and mobile.
Founded in 2005 and based in Bangalore, Neev employs a team of 250 specialists, of which over 220 are technologists, with experience and expertise in leveraging cloud and mobile technologies and promoting innovation that drives business success.
Neev serves a growing list of prominent brands and technology companies mainly in India and the US. Neev has increased revenues on average 45 percent year-on-year since 2007.
“Razorfish can now offer scaled expertise in India, complementing its already strong presence in Greater China and Australia,” Razorfish and Digitas networks APAC president Vincent Digonnet.
“At the core of Razorfish lies innovation and technology, and we can only launch the brand in a market with a very deep tech development capability. Neev is providing us with the right engine, including an ability to deliver sophisticated state of the art web, ecommerce, mobile and social solutions. In addition, the acquisition will support the development capabilities of Razorfish technology teams in the US,” he adds.
Neev CEO Saurabh Chandra said, “Neev has always delivered its work by leveraging leading edge technologies in cloud and mobility. With Razorfish we are looking at taking this to a larger portfolio of clients. Our focus remains delivering solutions to our clients that solve real business problems with the best combination of creativity and technology.”
Publicis Groupe‘s goal is to create the world‘s leading concentration of digital skills and competencies and to that end is committed to doubling its size in India between 2010 and 2015.
This year, the Groupe acquired the leading digital agency Convonix based in Mumbai and back in 2012 made significant acquisitions with iStrat (December 2012), Resultrix (August 2012) and Indigo Consulting (April 2012).
VivaKi India country chair for Srikant Sastri, who is overseeing the acquisition of Neev added, “With the acquisition of Neev, we have added cutting-edge tech capabilities. We are now twice as large as any other global network in terms of digital team-strength and revenues, and unparalleled in breadth and depth of digital skills.”
MAM
WPP appoints Guillaume Epstein as its global head of commercial
Publicis veteran to streamline pricing, contracts and client deals globally
LONDON: WPP has created a new global commercial leadership role and appointed Guillaume Epstein to lead it, according to media reports, as the company looks to simplify client deals and strengthen commercial operations.
In his new role as global head of commercial, Epstein is expected to oversee pricing structures, contract frameworks and client negotiations across markets. The move points to WPP’s growing focus on making its commercial approach more streamlined and consistent worldwide.
Epstein joins from Publicis Groupe, where he spent close to four years in senior leadership roles, including global commercial finance director and chief operating officer for Brazil. His work there covered financial strategy, operational efficiency and client profitability across multiple regions.
Prior to that, he held key roles across Asia Pacific within Publicis, including chief commercial officer for Apac and regional client finance director. During this period, he helped build regional hubs, standardise pricing models and manage complex, multi-country client relationships across markets such as Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
He also brings experience from Valtech, adding digital transformation expertise to his commercial skill set.
At Publicis, Epstein played a key role in developing multi-country rate cards, improving financial processes and creating training programmes around negotiation and pricing strategy. His work also focused on unlocking new revenue streams through digital and analytics capabilities.
The newly created role at WPP comes at a time when global agencies are under pressure to offer more transparent, efficient and scalable commercial models to clients.
With Epstein’s appointment, WPP appears to be fine-tuning its commercial engine, aiming to make client partnerships simpler, sharper and more aligned with evolving market needs.
