Accenture acquires South Africa's creative shop King James Group

Accenture will acquire South Africa's King James Group, an independent creative agency with expertise in brand strategy, creativity and digital marketing services.

The move will strengthen Accenture Interactive’s creativity in the region, the company said. This is Accenture first acquisition in Africa and will add King James Group’s team of 300 creative and brand experts to the firm's team in South Africa.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Founded in 1998 with locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg, King James Group clients are spread across financial services, consumer goods, technology and media. The shop claims to be one of South Africa’s most awarded agencies in industry and business rankings, with creative accolades, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clios, Loerie Awards, PRISMS, Bookmarks and the Creative Circle. 

James Barty, founding partner and chief executive of the King James Group said: “Joining Accenture Interactive ... will offer our people exciting growth and our client’s access to outstanding capabilities on a global scale.” Flaviano Faleiro, Accenture Interactive’s president for Growth Markets, added that "the agency’s capabilities and scale will complement our efforts to meet client demand for transformative experiences in the market and across all industries.”