• January 31, 2008

WPP announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Encompass, an Indian events and content creation agency based in Mumbai. As part of the investment, Encompass will be aligned with JWT India, the branch of JWT that serves brands like Airtel, Pepsico, Kellogg Co. and Ford Motor Co. of India.

Founded in 1996, Encompass boasts more than 240 employees and offices in New Delhi, Bangalore, Singapore and Mumbai, among others. The agency specializes in building engagement for clients like HSBC, Microsoft and Nokia through college contact programs, mall and in-store promotions and mobile road shows.

Encompass co-founder and CEO Sukrit Singh and co-founder and managing director Roshan Abbas will remain in their positions, according to Michael Maedel, president of JWT. Maedel said that the two companies had been working together on several campaigns, so the transaction was a "natural extension of our established relationship."

--Tameka Kee