Brand
experience agency Strata has acquired Element London and raised significant
investment to fund further acquisitions and international expansion.
Strata’s acquisition of Element –
specifically its experience in consumer brand promotions – bolsters the
agency’s ability to work with an increasing number of clients who want to
source a broad range of skills and capabilities through one touchpoint.
Furthermore, the purchase enables Strata to tap into Element’s
international client base across Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Simon Hambley, group CEO of
Strata, said: “Partnering with Element and adding them to the growing Strata
Group is another important step in our journey to reach our destination as the
leading brand experience agency in the global events industry.
“Element has an incredibly
talented team who are leaders in their field, so to bring them within the
Strata family – at such an important juncture – is incredibly exciting.”
Element, founded by Max Lee and Oliver Duval, is a reward and incentive specialist with more than 15 years’ experience in delivering programmes for brands in FMCG, entertainment, finance, technology and telecoms.
Lee and Duval said: “In Strata, we have found an ideal partner for
the next stage of our growth plans. We were looking for a team that could not
only introduce us to new clients and sectors but also complement the expertise
we have in-house.
“When we started talking with
Strata, it soon became apparent that the group valued the skillset we had
established and wished to form a true partnership. But what’s more, Strata is
currently innovating in the performance management and incentive space, too,
which makes us so excited for the future.”
Hambley continued: “Our
incorporation of Element within the Strata Group is also important because it
signals our intention to play a key part in an ever-changing and fast-growing
brand experience sector.
“Every year, over the last five
years, we have shown dynamic growth that is above the industry average of 20
per cent. This is why we have recently
attracted multi-million-pound investment from growth investor Ethos Partners.
“It understands our strategic
ambitions, and its support will allow us to continue our growth trajectory,
which includes an accelerated acquisition strategy. Now, our newly expanded
team and I will get on with executing this long-term plan, inspiring our
growing client portfolio to come on this journey with us.
“We want to establish a global
offering with a presence in each key market. Securing the funding we’ve now
achieved allows us to proactively put in place the building blocks to make that
happen over the coming year,” Hambley concluded.
