The integration of Work into the Havas group will take three years, during which time the firm will continue to work as an independent company under managing director Armon and Gibbons (pictured), who will split his time between Work and his role at Arena Media, which is also part of Havas. All other staff will remain in place.

In a letter to clients Gibbons and Armon said: “This is something that we have always wanted for the business and we are very excited about the next phase in the growth of the business…We want to assure you you that we remain dedicated to producing top notch work for our clients and whilst we will have close ties to Havas, our project work remains totally confidential as per the MRS guidelines.”

Havas had not returned calls to confirm or comment on the deal at the time of publication.