London-based digital design consultancy Adaptive Lab will join design constancy firm Idean in building a hub in the capital.
The purchase was made by French management firm, Capgemini, which owns Idean. The deal will be used to build a new London HQ, coming from a combination of Idean’s existing London office of 20 people and Adaptive Lab’s 50 strong team.
The financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Moving forward, Idean will work with existing hubs in the Nordics and Silicon Valley to offer clients in the UK the scale of a global network.
Adaptive Lab was founded in 2009 by James Haycock, who will now become managing director of Idean in the UK. The firm advises businesses on how to adjust to new technology and shifts in customer behavior.
The company’s top clients include Santander, Standard Life, Vodafone, and Three. This merger will help to meet growing customer demand in the UK.
James Haycock explains the company’s vision: “Since we founded Adaptive Lab over 100 billion dollar startups have been created in industries ranging from financial services to retail. To compete in these fast-moving markets, companies need to completely rethink how they approach growth. Our vision is to bring design, business and technology skills together in small, collaborative teams to help our clients do just that.”
How does Idean fit into this vision? Haycock explained: “Idean shares our philosophy and our ambition to take this modern approach global. They also recognise our special culture and how important this is in attracting the best talent and delivering impactful work.”
The deal was backed by Idean parent company Capgemini. The firm announced the acquisition back in February 2017, and the deal is set to close in the coming weeks. Cyril Garcia, head of digital services and member of the Group Executive Committee at Capgemini, commented on the news: “Adaptive Lab’s digital first, experience design led approach enables organizations to redefine their businesses and embrace disruptive technologies quickly for competitive advantage
“Adaptive Lab’s track record of working with marquee clients on high stakes projects is impressive and totally complementary to our digital services portfolio. We are delighted to welcome them to the Group and are sure they will play an instrumental role in growing our global network of studios under the Capgemini Group’s Idean brand, dedicated to creative design studios.”