Havas acquires majority stake in Uncommon

The deal will see the founders of Uncommon retain a 49% stake in the business and values the future potential of the company at between £80m and £120m.

Uncommon will retain its brand, vision and freedom to make its own decisions across its client partners, internal team and creative output.

The agreement will allow Uncommon to expand globally and into new capabilities, and will also provide Havas with a stronger presence in the UK and opportunities to expand in the US.

Yannick Bolloré, chairman and global chief executive officer at Havas and chairman at Havas’ parent company Vivendi, said: “Uncommon will bring new energy, creativity and audiences into Havas’ already leading-edge creative network.

“Uncommon have created a new space and energy in the industry. They are a once-in-a-decade company and having them join the Havas family is an exciting prospect.”

Donna Murphy, global chief executive at Havas Creative and Havas Health & You, added: “Bringing Uncommon into Havas Creative Network creates a truly unique and powerful offering in the industry. This will both accelerate Uncommon’s ambitions and expand the world-class offering of Havas.”

Lucy Jameson, founder at Uncommon, said: “From the first minute we met Donna and Yannick, we recognised our shared values: the focus on building meaningful brands, the power of creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit to do things differently.

“We are so excited about the scale of what we can now access and achieve for our clients.”

Natalie Graeme, founder at Uncommon, added: “Havas, along with its sister companies in Vivendi, offer Uncommon a way to accelerate into the spaces where we have already made headway. This partnership will open doors globally for Uncommon.”

Nils Leonard, founder at Uncommon, concluded: “We created Uncommon to be on the receiving end of the most important and influential briefs of our time, this partnership brings that conviction closer to reality.

“This deal is different: it’s based on a freedom to make decisions, a power to break down barriers and the removal of dependency to make good things happen. We can create the industry we wish we worked in.”