FINN Partners acquires SPAG, bolsters healthcare practice

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SPAG Asia, a health-sector communications and marketing firm with offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mumbai, the Philippines and Singapore has joined FINN Partners. The agency will now be branded as SPAG, a FINN Partners Company.

SPAG serves global biopharma companies, health trade associations and health provider systems. Aman Gupta, SPAG founder and managing partner, will join FINN as a managing partner and lead for the agency’s health practice throughout Asia. In his new role, Gupta will work closely with global health practice colleagues Gil Bashe, chair global health and purpose, and Fern Lazar, managing partner and global health practice lead.

SPAG will become part of FINN in the Asian region, overseen by Howard Solomon, founding managing partner, who also leads FINN efforts on the West Coast of the US. There are no staff redundancies or client conflicts.

SPAG co-founder Shivani Gupta, joins FINN as managing partner, culture and brand reputation, health, Asia, and will focus on building brand communications and practice culture throughout Asia. Both of them will become members of the agency's global health practice leadership team.

According to her, SPAG and the FINN Health Practice share the perspective that clients need access to high-impact creative across media channels to be successful across the health payer, product innovation, and provider sectors. "Collaboration enables people to tap into each other’s knowledge and apply it to the great challenges facing health innovators of all sizes and sectors. We are thrilled to be on this journey together," she said.

The addition of SPAG strengthens FINN’s position as home to one of the world’s largest independent health practices, with almost US$50 million in revenues, the press statement said. The move also increases the total FINN staff to more than 1,300 employees with more than 150 based in Asia with 275 professionals worldwide dedicated to the health sector.

"Among the hallmarks of SPAG is our recognised passion for our people and clients," said Aman Gupta, who, before founding SPAG in 2013, held executive positions at agencies and bio-pharma companies, including Imprimis Life (part of Perfect Relations Group) and Lupin Laboratories and Ranbaxy.

"Joining FINN enables us to bring additional cutting-edge services, geographic reach, and health-sector and digital expertise to our clients,” he added. “ During the past year, SPAG and FINN worked side-by-side to support client efforts, and this new relationship – based on shared values – expands our services capabilities and opens doors to wonderful staff opportunities and knowledge-sharing around health developments and best practices.”

Peter Finn (pictured), CEO and founding managing partner, FINN Partners added that Asia is paving the way for global health innovation, and clients eager to engage can generate greater value by taking bold, strategic action in the region.

“We are proud to welcome this outstanding agency, which shares our passion for client success, to FINN. SPAG and its community affirm the good sense of our acquisition strategy, which focuses first and foremost on partners with shared values and missions. This infusion of health-sector talent in Asia – where we already have great strength in technology and travel in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore – builds on our collaborative approach to growth,” Finn added.

Meanwhile, Bashe said: " When we consider Asia as a vast region fueling a significant percentage of global venture capital/private equity investments in digital health—US$6 billion of US$14 billion in the past five years, SPAG knowledge and expertise are key to realising our shared mission of serving clients to improve human health.”

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