Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys Melbourne’s Biztech
S4 Capital, owned by former WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, has bought Biztech, a Melbourne-based marketing company.
The transaction involves S4 Capital’s global content arm, Mediamonks, merging with Biztech, in a move said to be a “strategic step towards delivering a faster, better and cheaper offer for clients worldwide”.
Sir Martin Sorrell
“We are delighted with the proposed deal which will bring Michael, Tim, and the entire Biztech team to the S4 Capital family,” said Sorrell, founder and executive chairperson of S4 Capital.
“Their highly specialised Adobe expertise and close-knit client relationships make Biztech the perfect partner to accelerate our business in Australia and beyond.”
Biztech reports revenues of approximately $15m and employs 90 staff across its Melbourne HQ and Sydney, Toronto, Moscow and Astana (in Kazakhstan) offices.
“We are thrilled to be asked to partner with S4 Capital and launch Mediamonks in new territories in Australia, which offers exciting opportunities for our people and a broader service offering for our clients,” said Michael Patishman, CEO of Biztech.
Since Biztech is mainly known for its work with Adobe, S4 Capital says the merger will allow “Mediamonks and Mightyhive [a media consultancy that merged with S4 Capital in December 2018] to expand their existing relationship with one of the major software companies”.
“Bringing Biztech on board will represent many things for Mediamonks. We will be effectively marrying engineering, design, and content for a new era of creativity,” added Victor Knaap, CEO of Mediamonks.
“But we’re not just broadening our client offer, we’re growing our network that will span from Mexico to Melbourne and welcome a brand new super crew of Adobe experts.”
S4 Capital also claims the merger will “establish a footprint” for Mediamonks in Australia and Canada.
“S4 Capital already operates in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand through Mightyhive, but S4 Capital will now gain a fully integrated content and programmatic operation in Australia and Canada on which to build, as well as a global centre of expertise in customer experience and Adobe capabilities,” the company said in a statement.
The merger is subject to an ongoing audit and documentation process, and will be funded through cash resources, with consideration payable in cash and ordinary shares of S4 Capital.
Biztech was founded in 2008, and S4 Capital in 2018.
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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