Leo Burnett's Publicis iStrat & Indigo merge to create digital powerhouse

Leo Burnett India has announced the merger of Publicis iStrat with Indigo Consulting. The Delhi headquartered iStrat will be rebranded as Indigo iStrat and will continue to operate out of Delhi. This merger underpins Leo Burnett and Indigo Consulting’s commitment to this market and its growing clientele, further reinforcing its position as one of the top digital agencies in India.

Established in the year 2000, Indigo Consulting became a part of Leo Burnett (Publicis Groupe) in 2012. It specializes in providing innovative and result-oriented digital solutions for brands around the world to engage with the new age consumer. Indigo Consulting was the first agency to have a dedicated user experience division, UX Labs, which was set up in 2009. Its independent mobile marketing division, Thmbstrk was introduced in 2011. Indigo Consulting is one of the fastest growing agencies in India with deep expertise in areas such as web-builds, platforms and apps. It has a clientele that covers a large business spectrum, including banking & finance, telecom, hospitality, entertainment, consumer goods and B2B.

Based in New Delhi and Gurgaon, iStrat was cofounded by Navneet Sahni and Sonya Sahni in 2003 and provides solutions across all digital touch points. It offers a wide range of innovative and highly creative digital communication solutions delivered through six Strategic Business Units, including Web & Mobile Solutions, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Touch Screen Solutions and Digital Films with a client roaster across business verticals such as BFSI, Healthcare, FMCG, Automotive, Building products, QSR and consumer goods.
              
The merged entity, Indigo iStrat will encompass a combined strength of over 300 employees across India and will have capabilities across User Experience, Technology, Creative and Strategy. The merged entity will partner with all Publicis Communications companies in India including Leo Burnett, Publicis Ambience, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, MSLGROUP, Orchard Advertising and Publicis Capital.

Harshad Hardikar, Chief Operating Officer at Indigo Consulting will lead the merged entity. Navneet Sahni and Sonya Sahni, cofounders of iStrat, will work closely with Harshad Hardikar to grow this business in Delhi.

Commenting on this merger, Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia said, “We wanted to create a digital powerhouse in India. Indigo Consulting is already a Centre of Excellence for us across the region and the merged entity will give clients access to the finest digital offering in the country. Our focus remains building deep expertise across disciplines and integrating our services to solve our client’s problems. Harshad Hardikar will lead this combined entity and Navneet and Sonya will partner him in growing our business in Delhi. The combined entity with more than 300 specialists makes Indigo Consulting a compelling proposition for our clients.”