LAW firm Watson Burton has acted for shareholders of global marketing auditor FirmDecisions ASJP Group Limited in relation to the sale of the company to UK listed firm Ebiquity.
FirmDecisions is the largest independent global media and marketing compliance business providing advertising and production auditing services to brand-owners, including compliance audits, compensation audits, exit audits and contract advice. With offices in London, Berlin, New York, Brazil, Madrid, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, FirmDecisions has a genuine international presence, ensuring a global service for global advertisers.
Watson Burton’s corporate group led the cross departmental team in advising the shareholders of FirmDecisions on all aspects of UK law related to the sale of the company.
This involved negotiating the sale documentation and co-ordinating shareholders based across the world. Corporate partner Robin Adams led the team with assistance from corporate trainee solicitor William McCullough, real estate associate Michael Shuker and employment solicitor Helen Scott.
Adams said: “FirmDecisions and Ebiquity are leading players within the field and completion of the deal will allow FirmDecisions and Ebiquity to consolidate and build both brands.”
Stephen Broderick, CEO of FirmDecisions, said: “FirmDecisions has established a leadership position in the market for financial compliance in media, creative and marketing. We have long seen the benefits of being able to provide this service alongside the complementary media performance measurement services offered by Ebiquity. It’s a great combination.
Alison Sanderson, director and selling shareholder of FirmDecisions said: “Robin and the team at Watson Burton have been instrumental in helping us complete this deal. They provided commercially sound advice, which will allow FirmDecisions to enter an exciting new phase within the Ebiquity group.”
Alternative Investment Market listed Ebiquity is an international media and marketing insights company which provides independent data-driven insights to the global media and marketing community, with the aim of continuously improving their clients’ business performance.
It currently works with over 1,000 clients in 60 markets worldwide, including 85 of the top 100 global advertisers, all the major advertising agency groups and a number of other businesses.
Completion of this deal allows Ebiquity to provide advertisers with an end-to-end overview of media contract compliance, further enhancing its service offering to clients on a global scale. Ebiquity was advised by a team led by the company’s general counsel Andrew Watkins.
Nick Manning of Ebiquity, said: “Our clients have been expressing a desire for greater visibility in the media value chain. This deal will help us meet their demands for greater transparency and accountability.”
