Advertising and media giant WPP’s AKQA and Grey are uniting to form a new network model, AKQA Group. The move follows other recent mergers of WPP agencies such as Wunderman Thompson, VMLY&R, and BCW.

While Grey is best-known for its creative storytelling and global brand building at scale, AKQA is for its innovation and experience design skills. The link-up is aimed at creating a powerful new proposition for clients as a leading creative solutions company with a worldwide footprint.

The AKQA Group will have 6,000 people in more than 50 countries and a blue-chip client roster that includes more than half of the Fortune 500’s top 20. It will provide a full range of brand experience capabilities across all communications platforms, strengthening the skills and services of both companies for clients.

AKQA founder Ajaz Ahmed and Grey Worldwide CEO Michael Houston will partner to lead the new group,with Ahmed as CEO and Houston as global president and chief operating officer of AKQA Group. The brands will be integrated over time into a single company based on client and market needs.

In a statement, Ahmed said: “Our goal is to expand horizons, combining the curiosity, ambition, imagination, and pioneering spirit of a startup with the reach of a global enterprise. This is an unparalleled opportunity for AKQA and Grey to bring our shared assets to life into a modern, creatively-led company.”

Meanwhile, Houston added: “This exciting new partnership begins with what consumers expect, clients value, and brands need. Forming a new company that can deliver culture-driving ideas through technology at speed and scale is a potent proposition for our clients.” AKQA and Grey have highly compatible creative cultures and share a common belief in the power of creativity. Between them they have won nearly 600 Cannes Lions in the last decade. The two agencies have complementary, non-competitive client rosters and will combine their experience on media, entertainment and financial services.

The creation of AKQA Group follows the merger of four other WPP agencies in 2018 under the stewardship of WPP’s CEO Mark Read. VMLY&R was created when WPP merged creative agency Y&R and digital shop VML. Then Wunderman Thompson was created after WPP merged J. Walter Thompson with digital network Wunderman.

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