Lewis Silkin has advised Havas on its acquisition of a majority stake (51%) in Uncommon Creative Studio, the most awarded and fastest growing independent creative company in the UK

Founded in 1835 in Paris, Havas is one of the world’s largest global communications networks, with more than 22,000 people in over 100 countries sharing one single mission: to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses, and people. This landmark deal reflects the entrepreneurial approach of Havas and bucks the industry standard deals - valuing the future potential of Uncommon at £80 to £120 million considering their projected growth plans. Uncommon will retain its brand, vision and freedom to make its own decisions across its client partners, internal team and creative output in this exciting next stage of growth for the studio.

Uncommon has twice been named Creative Agency of the Year in the UK, as well as being recently named AdAge’s International Agency of the Year in only 5 years of existence and remains the only majority female-founded company of its scale in the industry. This deal will supercharge Uncommon’s growth globally and its continued expansion into new capabilities.

Donna Murphy, Global CEO of Havas Creative and Havas Health & You, said: “Bringing Uncommon into Havas Creative Network creates a truly unique and powerful offering in the industry. Lewis Silkin’s understanding of deal making dynamics in the creative economy landscape consistently proves to be an invaluable resource and was key to the successful completion of this transaction that benefited all the stakeholders involved. Having personally worked with Paul and Lewis Silkin for many years on Havas Health & You transactions, there is no one else I would have trusted on this strategically important acquisition for Havas Creative.”

The Lewis Silkin team was led by Paul Rajput, partner and Head of Corporate, alongside Corporate Tax partner - Matthew Rowbotham, Corporate legal director – Sadiq Tajbhai and Corporate senior associate – Natalie Wilson and Corporate associate – Ayesha Chanda. The team were supported by Digital, Creative and Commercial colleagues, associate – Leonie Sheridan and trainee – Bronte Callum.

Paul Rajput, Corporate Partner, said: “This transaction was an excellent opportunity for our team at Lewis Silkin to apply our knowledge of the advertising and marketing arena in support of Havas’ ambitious growth strategy. Our Tier 1 ranked M&A team continues to excel and be a market-leading adviser in this sector. The combination of Havas and Uncommon will be a compelling and game-changing creative services offering.”