Ad agency M&C Saatchi has taken a majority stake in talent management agency Merlin Elite, which represents famous faces such as Andrew Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp.
Despite the company taking a 60 per cent stake in the agency, rumoured to be worth £1.5 million, founder of Merlin Elite, Richard Thompson will remain as chairman although it will proceed under the moniker M&C Saatchi Merlin.
Said Thompson: “I am extremely excited to be joining the M&C Saatchi family. 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.
“Talent management, both for sportspeople and entertainers, has fundamentally remained the same for the past thirty years. M&C Saatchi Merlin will have a creative approach to managing, nurturing and developing a career that will be unique. This acquisition demonstrates why M&C Saatchi have long been regarded as pioneers.”
The agency also represents Jodie Kidd and former Jamiroquai front man Jay Kay.