Dentsu divestment: Simon Ryan, Konrad Spilva eye holding group performance assets

News Analysis 28 Apr 2020 - 3 min read

Dentsu divestment: Simon Ryan, Konrad Spilva eye holding group performance assets

By Josh McDonnell - Senior Writer

Market Voice 3 min read

Retail media: Key lessons to avoid repeating programmatic ‘gold rush’ mistakes, hollowing out brand budgets

By Rory Heffernan - Chief Executive Officer, Atomic 212º | Partner Content

Retail media’s rise comes as marketers are being told to do even more with even less, says Atomic 212º Chief Executive Officer, Rory Heffernan, and puts brand budgets under further pressure.

Market Voice 4 min read

Airports are back bigger and better: why they are the next frontier for incredibly human brand connection

By Jemma Enright - General Manager, Airport, JCDecaux ANZ | Partner Content

In the next 5 years, brands will be reaching 85m passengers a year in the transformed terminals of Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth airports. That’s a massive opportunity to engage an emotionally charged audience in a context of curiosity and discovery, says JCDecaux’s Jemma Enright.

Market Voice 3 min read

The best relationships are personal – regional strategies should be too

By Phil Leyshon - Director of Digital, ACM | Partner Content

Mi3 sat down with ACM Director of Digital Phil Leyshon to discuss how first party data and enriched targeting is bringing brands closer to the regions – and notching upwards of 30 per cent growth.

Tags:

Simon Ryan and Konrad Spilva have their eyes on Dentsu assets, wanting to acquire key agencies within the holding group as they ramp up their independent offering. They've also poached Carat Melbourne Managing Director Joseph Pardillo.

What you need to know:

The two former Dentsu executives have been on the M&A hunt since news of their partnership was revealed earlier this year
Insiders now claim Simon Ryan has been in conversations with Dentsu regarding interest in acquiring some of its agencies
The duo have also grown their team in the past month
Mi3 understands this includes the hire of Carat Melbourne MD Joseph Pardillo
Ryan and Spilva's new independent group is expected to go live in the second half

Indie agency mergers

Since Mi3 first reported the partnership between ex-Dentsu heavyweights Simon Ryan and Konrad Spilva, the duo have been in merger talks with independent shops across Melbourne and Sydney.

Now industry insiders claim they have had ongoing discussions with their former holding group, as the two look to acquire some of its assets.

While no direct agencies were named, it's understood there is interest in areas of performance and digital, which now primarily fall under the Isobar brand - which Spilva previously headed up.

Dentsu declined to comment on whether there had been any conversations between the two parties.

Full details of the make-up of Ryan and Spilva's new venture remain unclear, however, some have claimed it could mirror the likes of Sir Martin Sorrell's S4 and Australia's Bastion Collective.

People poaching

Dentsu confirmed that Joseph Pardillo has stepped down as Managing Director of Carat after eight years, where he led the growth of the Melbourne operations and secured some of the agency's key clients such as Medibank/AHM and L'Oreal.

It is not yet clear what Pardillo's next career will be but some suggest he will be joining former colleagues Simon Ryan and Konrad Spilva to head the media division of their new venture, to be announced soon.

Both Ryan and Spilva have been contacted but would not comment.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of my eight years at Carat and the highs and lows endured throughout that time," Pardillo told Mi3.

"Whilst I have witnessed enormous business success throughout my tenure, nothing can compare to the privilege of leading and working with brilliant people throughout the journey. These great individuals within the business are who will continue the storied success of Carat, and I wish them all the best."

Pardillo would not comment on his next move.