• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 16, 2012

In what will most likely be its last third-quarter earnings report as a freestanding agency holding company, U.K.-based Aegis Group reported an impressive 14.5% growth in revenues for the quarter, and a 16.3% growth for the first nine months versus the same periods in 2011.

On an organic basis, excluding acquisitions and sales, Aegis reported 6.3% and 7.9% rates of growth for those periods -- well ahead of its industry peers at the other major agency holding companies and defying the overall slowdown that has hit the advertising industry due to global economic volatility.

The difference in the organic rates is attributable to the fact that Aegis made a number of significant acquisitions during the quarter, including Catch Stone in China, Hablar in Japan, C2 in India, D2D and iSpy in the UK, W Garden in France, Irokeesi in Finland, and IQ Mobile in Austria.

This may be Aegis’ last third-quarter report, because it has agreed to be acquired by Japan’s Dentsu, and pending various regulatory clearances, will complete the merger by Feb. 28, 2013.