Dentsu Aegis Network acquires majority share of Barnes, Catmur & Friends, New Zealand

Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the acquisition of a majority share in Barnes, Catmur & Friends (BC&F) New Zealand, establishing creative capability for Dentsu Aegis Network in the market to further strengthen the business in New Zealand.

BC&F founders Daniel Barnes and Paul Catmur, CEO and ECD respectively, will remain in their roles as leaders of the newly named BC&F Dentsu and will continue to be supported by the existing BC&F management team including General Manager, Luke Farmer. 

Founded in 1996, the award winning and highly regarded full-service creative agency with 31 staff in Auckland will be the flagship creative agency brand of Dentsu Aegis Network New Zealand and the first Dentsu offering in the market.

Working across creative, media, digital, design, and direct, BC&F is currently recognised as New Zealand’s most effective independent agency and is ranked number one in Asia Pacific, according to the Effies index.

Nick Waters, Asia Pacific CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, said, “Bringing BC&F into the group really strengthens our proposition in New Zealand, provides our clients with a high quality creative capability for the first time in the market, and extends the reach of the Dentsu agency brand across the Asia Pacific region.”

Takaki Hibino CEO Dentsu and Dentsu media Asia Pacific said, “This exciting new acquisition means we now have strong presence in New Zealand, expanding our network in the region and becoming the first Dentsu agency in New Zealand. We look forward to working closely with BC&F Dentsu and, with the newly acquired BWM Dentsu, we will be able to offer our clients creative excellence in ANZ.”

Rob Harvey, New Zealand CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network said, “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Barnes, Catmur & Friends into Dentsu Aegis Network. I have long admired the work of the BC&F team and the addition of the agency to our group is a significant step towards achieving our strategic goals in New Zealand.

“BC&F share many of our values, not the least of which is a dedication to innovation and collaboration to deliver results for clients. Their business is very complementary to our group from both a capability and cultural perspective. We have no desire to change the things that have made BC&F so successful in the past. Daniel, Paul, and Luke are great leaders and I look forward to working with them to achieve our ambitions for both BC&F Dentsu, and the wider Dentsu Aegis Network group in New Zealand.”

Daniel Barnes CEO of BC&F Dentsu said, “Dentsu have impressed us with their new approach to agency networks and their desire to let us continue with the freedom to do what we do best. Joining Dentsu Aegis Network gives us access to great talent, services, tools, data and technology both locally and from the global network.”

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 For further information contact:

 peixuan.lim@dentsuaegis.com

Notes to Editors:

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of nine global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, Dentsu media, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with over 30,000 dedicated specialists. 

About BC&F

Barnes Catmur & Friends is New Zealand's most effective independent advertising agency, bringing together full service disciplines including Media,Design, Direct, and Digital.