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Bates marries David, Josy Paul quits

The $10-bn-plus communications holding company, WPP, has announced the merger of its agencies Bates Enterprise and David to form Bates David Enterprise in India.

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MUMBAI: The $10-billion-plus communications holding company, WPP, has announced the merger of its agencies Bates Enterprise and David to form Bates David Enterprise in India.

Bates David Enterprise will be led by Subhash Kamath as CEO; Mohammed Khan will continue as chairman of the new entity. As expected, Josy Paul, chairman and NCD, David, has put in his papers and will not be part of the new entity. This development was carried in DNA Money on February 19.

Paul told DNA Money: “I am not focusing on mergers but on collaborations. I think that my inability lies in understanding mergers. Collaboration on the other hand is a simple human concept that allows good people to get better. I am working in that direction: Influencing greater ideas through collaboration. There are 108 people at David and more spirit than all the alcohol companies.”’

A WPP communiqué states that the board of directors of both the companies have approved the merger. Integration of processes and people is expected to be completed over the next two months. The offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai, will offer a complete range of communication services.

Says Piyush Pandey, chairman, Ogilvy & Mather: “I see a lot of synergies in this union. Bates-Enterprise is an experienced vintage brand but it has plenty of edginess and spark in its brand of creativity.

David is a young street-smart brand, with an enthusiastic team and a great creative product… The valuation of the two brands is considerable.”

Does WPP have any plans to keep Paul in the family via some new office? Pandey states, “WPP would be happy to retain Josy in any way possible, should he decide to stay. But I think that it’s Josy’s call.”

Subhash Kamath, CEO of Bates Enterprise, shrugs off all talk of Bates-David-Enterprise marriage being seen as ménage a trois (Bates, Enterprise, David).

He says, “Big brands occupy the client rosters of both agencies whether it’s Emami, Marico, Nokia or ITC. Billings wise, the net worth of the two agencies is considerable.

We share a lot of traits: a hierarchy-free structure, an enthusiastic team and fertile creative, like-minded people.”

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