November 2021
EPAM Systems, Inc.
Canaccord Genuity Advises EPAM on its Acquisition of Emakina Group, Bringing New Lines of High-Performance Marketing & Creative Services to EMEA Markets
Combination Enhances EPAM's Ability to Deliver Creative Solutions, Personalized Experiences, and Next Generation Digital Products to Global Clients
Canaccord Genuity is pleased to announce it has advised EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, on its acquisition of Emakina Group (Euronext: ALEMK), a multi-award-winning digital agency. Headquartered in Belgium with 1,100+ employees and a strong presence across Central and Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and North America, Emakina Group will enhance EPAM's digital experience practice.
Emakina Group is a leading group of independent digital agencies, with 26 offices in 18 countries. The group designs and delivers innovative solutions to help clients build strong relationships with their customers. Its services include digital consulting, advertising, marketing, content creation, platform development, and data science and analytics. Operating across multiple sectors, including financial services, retail, energy, and automotive, the group's line-up of global and European clients includes Nike, Honda, Intersport, Olympique Marseille, Rituals, KitchenAid, and DP World, among others.
Since 1993, EPAM has leveraged its advanced software engineering heritage to become the foremost global digital transformation services provider – leading the industry in digital and physical product development and digital platform engineering services. Through its innovative strategy; integrated advisory, consulting, and design capabilities; and unique “Engineering DNA,” EPAM's globally deployed hybrid teams help make the future real for clients and communities around the world by powering better enterprise, education, and health platforms that connect people, optimize experiences, and improve people's lives. Selected by Newsweek as a 2021 Most Loved Workplace, EPAM's global multi-disciplinary teams serve customers in more than 40 countries across five continents. As a recognized leader, EPAM is listed among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services on the Fortune 1000 and ranked as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list for the last three consecutive years. EPAM is also listed among Ad Age's top 25 World's Largest Agency Companies, and, in 2020, Consulting Magazine named EPAM Continuum a top 20 Fastest-Growing Firm.
The acquisition of Emakina Group adds a layer of strategy, creativity, and digital experience expertise to EPAM's global digital and design portfolio, allowing the combined firms to further connect strategic thinking with continuous execution—fusing strategy, engineering, creativity, and analytics together to better serve customers and help them solve complex marketing and business challenges. The combined workforce and talent expertise will further enable the team to deliver digitally-powered transformations and experiences for clients across multiple disciplines, including experience design, marketing strategy, CRM, transactional platforms, and database analysis.
Canaccord Genuity, with a team led by Sanjay Chadda and David Istock, served as financial advisor to EPAM.