SI Global acted as lead sell-side advisor to The Forge, an award-winning strategy and innovation consultancy, on its successful sale to MSQ, a global creative, technology and media group.
The acquisition strengthens MSQ’s strategic capabilities, aligning The Forge’s insight-driven approach with the dynamic, digital-first approach to insight and strategy of MSQ agency Freemavens. This combination creates a powerful offering in strategy and social science.
With The Forge’s work spanning global markets, the deal unlocks growth opportunities across Europe, the US, and Asia - particularly in Amsterdam and North America, where The Forge already has strong client presence.
Peter Reid, Group CEO of MSQ, said: “The Forge is a brilliant addition to MSQ – the team brings greater depth and breadth to our strategic thinking, unlocks innovation growth opportunities for our clients and provides an opportunity for us to extend the scope of The Forge’s work beyond strategy and into activation harnessing our broader skills particularly in creative, design and digital.”
Steven Melford, Co-founder and Managing Director of The Forge, said: “We’ve had a number of approaches over the years. Any growth partner had to ultimately fit our key criteria of being good people, with a strong cultural fit, a stimulating vision and a platform that would provide growth opportunities for our business, our clients and our team.
“MSQ ticks all the boxes and importantly has a strong track record of allowing entrepreneurial agencies to thrive under its ownership. The increased scope of MSQ’s services, our ability to bring something different to that offering and the global footprint it brings to us is hugely exciting as we collaborate with our new colleagues to see what opportunities we can unlock.
The Forge’s leadership team will work closely with MSQ Executive Director and former CEO of Kantar Consulting, Bart Michels.
Read the full press release here.