lg2 takes two bold steps towards the future

As part of a bold new initiative to strengthen its independent business model, lg2 is launching the next phase of its succession plan, appointing new shareholders and joining the ranks of indie network Worldwide Partners Inc. (WPI). “For us, this is the best of both worlds. Our business model gives us the decision-making freedom inherent to entrepreneurship, combined with access to the best talent from around the world,” said Claude Auchu, Partner and Chief Executive Officer of lg2 Group. lg2 becomes the newest member of the global group of autonomous agencies, representing members in more than 40 countries.

“We are continuing the transformation of our model to make way for a continuous, progressive and evolving plan. This fluidity allows us to continue offering exciting opportunities to our best employees. These are individuals who deeply believe in the value of entrepreneurship, in which talent is prioritized over profits,” concluded Claude Auchu.

The original lg2 buyout model, awarded several times by the Canadian business community for its avant-gardism and efficiency, is still evolving. It’s all part of a plan to make way for a new wave of appointments in order to strengthen the agency's sustainability. In fact, seven new equity partners from offices in Toronto, Quebec and Montreal were recently appointed: Nicolas Baldovini, Keith Barry, Guillaume Bergeron, Marie-Christine Cayer, Hélène Fortin, Alexandra Laverdière et Julie Pilon. With an already solid foundation of leadership at lg2, this fresh group reflects our desire to champion diversity and internal growth.

“In a context of talent scarcity, our business model makes us even more attractive, which will help us to continue to bring in the best in the business and to help them grow. Having real control over our business gives us the autonomy to make better decisions for the benefit of our employees, our clients and their business trajectories on a daily basis,” underlined Claude Auchu.

As part of the WPI network, lg2 will be better equipped than ever to serve its clients and their brands, not to mention their growing international needs. The WPI group offers Canada’s largest independent agency a worldwide presence and the ability to choose from a wealth of collaborators. Claude Auchu elaborated on the agency’s strategic selection of WPI, “they possess a genuine entrepreneurial spirit. These are all owners who made the courageous choice to build independent businesses, against the tide of takeovers. They believed that this was the only way to make a difference. The current global narrative, in terms of creativity, client collaboration and overall performance, gives us all excellent reasons to continue down this path," concluded Claude Auchu.

The democratization and accessibility of data, openness to new ways of collaborating, flexibility and agility, and the collaborative connectivity between independent agencies are all factors that will greatly favour this model. This according to John Harris, President and CEO of Worldwide Partners, who has over 15 years of experience within global networks. 

“Far beyond its creative force, lg2 certainly represents a model of business success for our network. It’s a company that fully understands the reality of today’s clients. I see this every day in our network: There is no one better to understand the reality of a client than entrepreneurs. Independent agencies have the freedom to operate in a way that puts clients’ best interests above those of shareholders,” said John Harris in a recent interview with Adweek, an American media outlet.

In 1938, a group of independent advertising agencies came together to learn from one another, to grow through one another, and to change the world. More than 80 years later, Worldwide Partners represents a global network of more than 70 independent and diversified market services agencies in over 40 countries who support the world's most heralded brands across 90 industry verticals. Unlike the traditional agency holding company model, Worldwide Partners does not own the agencies in our network. Our agencies own the network. Worldwide Partners agencies maintain their independence, remaining unencumbered by the restrictions of a parent company while operating within an interdependent framework that cultivates a commitment to collaboration and accountability to deliver maximum business return for our clients. For more information: www.worldwidepartners.com

Marie-Luce Ouellet
Directrice des communications et des affaires publiques, lg2

Cellulaire : +1 514 586-2564 
marie-luce.ouellet@lg2.com