Hardie Grant Media has acquired creative communications agency, Keep Left, expanding its network of specialist agencies, which already includes digital media agency Reload Media, content agency Heads & Tales, PR and influencer agency Tide Communications, and production studio Sherpa.
Keep Left's founder, Caroline Catterall, and business partner, Gillian Gosling - who joined in 2009 and became a shareholder in 2015 - will continue to lead Keep Left as Managing Director and Head of PR, respectively.
The agency will continue to operate under its own brand and leadership team, with all staff joining Hardie Grant Media. The team will move into Hardie Grant's offices in Melbourne and Sydney, gaining access to a broader network of specialist marketing capabilities and collaboration opportunities across the group.
The acquisition also includes Keep Left's proprietary earned media evaluation tool, the Impact Score, which was recently updated with OpenAI to automate coverage logging.
Caroline said: "It's been an incredible journey building Keep Left into the agency it is today. Gill and I are so proud of the team, the work, and the client partnerships we’ve nurtured over the years.
"Joining Hardie Grant marks an exciting new chapter for us as a levelled-up Indie. For our clients, it will mean access to even more integrated thinking, specialist capabilities and creativity - which will help us reach audiences in new and innovative ways.
"For our team, it brings new colleagues, new growth opportunities, and the chance to collaborate across a broader national network. Most importantly, we’re joining a group that genuinely values its people and culture. We're energised by what’s ahead."
Hardie Grant's Chief Executive Officer, Nick Hardie-Grant, said: "We've long admired Keep Left and its reputation for delivering meaningful work. In addition to the impressive team, the Impact Score is a genuinely exciting product with huge potential and a real point of difference for our agencies. With the support of the broader business and continued investment we’re looking forward to helping it reach its full potential."
(Pictured, from left: Craig Somerville, Caroline Catterall, Gillian Gosling, and Nick Hardie-Grant)