M&C Saatchi Secures Majority Stake in Management Agency Merlin Elite

International advertising agency, M&C Saatchi has acquired a majority 60% stake in UK-based talent management agency Merlin Elite, in a deal worth an estimated £1.5m ($2.4m).

Launched in 2003, Merlin Elite represents a host of sports and entertainment stars including former English cricketer and professional boxer Andrew Flintoff, former English footballer Jamie Redknapp, former supermodel and actress Jodie Kidd and British Olympic athlete Denise Lewis.

Through the deal, Merlin Elite will become M&C Saatchi Merlin and sit within M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment. The agency’s founder Richard Thompson will remain as chairman and report into M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment global chief executive Steve Martin and M&C Saatchi UK head Lisa Thomas.

“With the quality of people I have met, to the level of creativity and professionalism, I have no doubt this merger of talents will help create a new breed of Management Company – the first of its kind anywhere in the world,” says Thompson.

Martin, added:“This is not about selling Merlin’s talent portfolio back to our existing clients. It is a pioneering business model and the combination of creativity with strategic personal management will really freshen up a part of the industry that has been doing the same thing for a long time.”