Haygarth confirms management buyout from Omnicom, which keeps a minority stake

Brand activation agency Haygarth has confirmed that its management team has bought back a majority stake from Omnicom, which keeps a minority shareholding. The deal had already been disclosed in June by advisers Moore Kingston Smith, but the agency has only now confirmed it publicly, as Decision Marketing reported.

Who is behind the buyout

The management buyout was led by chief executive Marcus Sandwith, managing director Charlotte Amos, chief strategy officer Anthony Donaldson and chief financial officer Charlotte Broughton. Under the new structure they control the business, while Omnicom’s remaining strategic stake is intended to keep the two collaborating globally. No price has been disclosed.

In the Moore Kingston Smith announcement dated 9 June, Sandwith said majority ownership by management gives Haygarth “the independence and agility to build on our creative heritage”. The agency, founded in Wimbledon in 1984, says there will be no redundancies or changes to day-to-day operations for its 100-plus staff.

Twelve years inside Omnicom

Omnicom bought Haygarth in 2014 through its agency Rapp, adding shopper and retail skills to the network. The trigger for the buyout has not been revealed, but Rapp’s own future looks uncertain after Omnicom moved the London agency in with sister shop Critical Mass. Haygarth, based at Battersea Studios in London, will keep working for clients including Adidas, Disney and Vodafone. Sophie Daranyi, chief executive when Rapp bought the agency, went on to run Omnicom Commerce Group globally before leaving Omnicom in 2023.

Why it matters

Haygarth is the latest specialist agency to step back from a holding company as the big groups simplify their structures. Moore Kingston Smith described carve-outs from marketing services groups as a growing trend, and Omnicom has been busy folding smaller brands into larger ones. Our guide to the advertising holding companies explains how those networks fit together.

For UK clients, a management-owned Haygarth with Omnicom still on the shareholder register offers the best of both: an independent agency that can still plug into a global network. It also comes as consultancies keep buying into marketing services, with Accenture Song recently buying Sagacity, so the market for specialist UK agencies is moving in both directions at once.