IPG-Lintas: trustees to decide…  ( June '6,2007, The Hindustan Times)

R ECENTLY, INTERPUBLIC Group of Companies (IPG), the advertising and marketing services company got an approval from the Board of Lintas India Private Limited to get the balance 51 per cent of the shares of Lintas India, which were owned by 12 Employee Welfare Trusts.

Prem Mehta, chairman & managing director, Lintas India Private Limited says, "As in the past, the proceeds of the sale will become a part of the corpus and other assets of the trust and will be used only for the welfare of the employees." Mehta further adds that there is a board of trustees, which would decide what step would be best for the employees. He asserts that employees will be taken into consideration for the same.

Mehta also clarifies that the move would have no specific implications except for the fact that it will improve the functioning of the organisation as it would integrate it with IPG.

R. Balkrishnan (Balki), national creative director, Lowe, says that nothing has changed for employees after approval on IPG's acquisition of the balance 51 per cent of Lintas India. "Things are exactly the same."

When asked whether the move will lead to better interactions and exchange of ideas between IPG and Lintas, Balki says that it has been happening since the past few years.

IPG is organised into five divisions and a group of stand-alone agencies that are grouped into two reportable segments, IAN and CMG. Within the IAN seg ment, McCann Worldgroup, Draftfcb, Lowe Worldwide and Initiative provides an array of global communications and marketing services.

CMG, which includes Weber Shandwick, MWW Group, FutureBrand, DeVries, GolinHarris, Jack Morton, and Octagon Worldwide, provides services, such as public relations, meeting and event production and strategic marketing consulting.

Lintas India, with Lowe India as its flagship agency includes , service outfits like Initiative, Insight, Interactions, Intellect and Media Futures. In the throughthe-line area, Lintas' businesses include Lintas Personal, Linterland, LinOpinion, Advent, Lintertainment, Lintas Healthcare, dCell and Aaren Initiative.