Dentsu Aegis Network's Merkle acquires global data shop Ugam

Dentsu Aegis Network’s Merkle has made its biggest acquisition to date, buying a majority stake in India-based data and analytics company Ugam, which has more than 1,800 staffers worldwide.

The deal will allow Merkle—considered to be one of Dentsu Aegis Network’s secret weapons of success—to enjoy greater global scale. This is Merkle's fifth M&A transaction in the last 12 months and 13th since joining Dentsu in 2016.

Ugam CEO and Co-Founder Sunil Mirani will report to Merkle President Craig Dempster, while the rest of Ugam’s reporting structure will remain the same.

Dempster said in a statement: "Ugam is vital to the execution of Merkle’s multi-year analytics strategy of creating a scaled on- and offshore shared analytics service across Dentsu Aegis Network." 

He added that Ugam’s US focus and work with Fortune 500 companies will "create many synergies and strengthen our existing relationships, opening opportunities for each of our client portfolios."

Ugam, founded in 2000, specializes in data-driven analytics and decision-making and has long-term relationships with more than 75 Fortune 500 companies.