Robert Carter, Davanti, Justin Hamilton, Davanti, Rob Harvey, DAN NZ and Matt Farrar, Davanti.
Dentsu Aegis Network has bought Davanti Consulting, bringing the New Zealand-based technology and business consultancy into its Isobar Group across A/NZ.
The acquisition follows the recent rebranding of Dentsu Aegis-owned creative transformation agency Little Giant as Isobar New Zealand. Upon completion, Davanti will become "Davanti, linked by Isobar" across Australia and New Zealand.
Salesforce specialist Davanti boasts a headcount of 125 across Auckland, Wellington and a recently launched Australian office. It counts many top tier clients, including New Zealand government organisations such as Customs, Stats NZ, and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) as clients.
Davanti is building a Salesforce platform, dubbed Tiaki, for MPI to help it manage the fight against an outbreak of the cattle disease mycoplasma bovis. Implementation was due to start this month.
Davanti chief executive Justin Hamilton said the buyout delivers the capability and global scale for Davanti to be a serious competitor in Australia and realise its true potential in New Zealand.
“Strategically we have strived to put Davanti at the intersection of the strategy, technology and creative domains," he said.
Isobar now provided the creative depth and assets of a global player.
The acquisition introduces technology consulting and Salesforce capability to Dentsu Aegis Network New Zealand, enhancing the network’s proposition of client solutions. It will also accelerate the development of Salesforce capability within Isobar Australia.
“Acquisitions are an accelerator of this strategy, bringing in transformational capability and entrepreneurial talent to strengthen our fully integrated solutions offering for clients," said Dentsu Aegis Network New Zealand chief executive Rob Harvey.
Erik Hallander, managing director of Isobar Australia, said Davanti had a unique business model across business consulting and technology delivery.
"Bringing them together with Isobar Australia and New Zealand hugely enhances our capability expansion across the region and sets us apart by introducing an integrated end-to-end digital transformation offering for our clients.”
Davanti was the consulting arm of Telecom NZ-owned technology provider Gen-i until mid 2013, when the company sold it to senior staffers Hamilton, Matt Farrar and Robert Carter.
