Lagardère Unlimited acquires German sponsorship consulting agency group akzio! ajoint.

Lagardère Unlimited has acquired akzio! ajoint group, the market leading sponsoring agency in Germany. With this acquisition Lagardère Unlimited is complementing its service portfolio in Europe following the global growth strategy in consulting and brand activation.

Under the leadership of Andy Pierce, President and CEO of Lagardere Unlimited Americas and Lagardère Unlimited’s Global Head of Consulting, the group has already established successful consulting agencies in the United States and in Asia. “We are delighted to welcome akzio! ajoint. to Lagardère Unlimited. Since its foundation in 1993 (ajoint. in 2009), the group has become a renowned agency with a very attractive portfolio. With this acquisition, Lagardère Unlimited follows its growth strategy and will be able to add new services in strategic sponsorship advisory to the portfolio and to foster synergies within the group to develop a truly global consulting unit. We’re looking forward to working closely with the management board and with the experienced consulting experts,” said Pierce. 

akzio! ajoint. will continue to operate independently in the marketplace. The management team, consisting of industry experts Jacqueline Habermann, Karsten Bentlage, Thomas Kahl, Oliver Michels, Karsten Petry and Simon Trägner will stay with the company and continue in their existing positions.

Oliver Michels added, “We’ve been searching the market and Lagardère Unlimited’s strategic approach was the most convincing one for us. akzio! ajoint. will build up Lagardère Unlimited’s consulting business in Europe and will benefit from the global network and from the arising synergies. We are convinced that the Lagardère Unlimited network offers the biggest chance for akzio! ajoint. to grow and we look forward to working with Lagardère Unlimited.”

akzio! ajoint. operates with 100 employees from Munich and Frankfurt and designs bespoke sponsorship solutions for brands in sports, culture, and social affairs. Lately, akzio! ajoint. advised five out of seven UEFA Champions League partners in activating their engagements during the final played in Berlin.  

Lagardère Unlimited in Germany employs 350 experts in 20 different locations and covers the full value chain of sport marketing with its brands Lagardère Unlimited Events, Lagardère Unlimited Stadium Solutions, United Sports Digital, and SPORTFIVE including its subsidiaries Zächel AG and VIP Sportstravel. 

The deal is still subject to regulatory approval from the German competition authorities.