Ixis, welcome to the team.

Growing securely and safely is a priority for everyone at CTI. 

However, in recent years, growing 'slowly' has fallen out of favour at our HQ.

That's why I am pleased to inform you that as of the 23rd December 2020, we acquired one of Europe's top support agencies for quality and innovation in delivery, Ixis!

Ixis launched in 2004 to make websites easy, people-focussed, and profitable. They help brands provide a top-quality web experience for their customers and users through development and hosting and support.

"Joining CTI strengthens our positioning by bringing data, creative, marketing, ecommerce and usability labs into the mix. We see from pre, and what will eventually be post-Covid, that both our clients are looking for a cohesive digital experience which as a part of this new group, we can achieve"

Mike Carter, MD of Ixis.

Ixis employs 18 staff and will continue to operate under Founder and CEO Mike Carter's leadership, but now with support from the wider CTI group and services. The brand will continue to operate as an independent agency while benefiting from the streamlined processes and relationships that connect expert departments across our five digital powerhouse brands.

No shaking hands this time...Hangouts celebration instead with Mike Carter, MD of Ixis, and Paul Johnson, Drupal Director and Higher Education specialist.

Acquisitions, growth, and what it's all about.

Our goal is to be the trusted digital partner of all our clients. In every investment, be it talent, technology or acquisitions, our goal is always to improve and build on the quality and innovation we deliver to our clients.

Since we left Paperhat 2 years ago, we've invested in our clients, team and technology to ensure that we could help our organisations build and accelerate their digital missions. 

We made a strong start in technology and hosting by expanding platforms and introducing a dedicated hosting division with our Nublue acquisition. We also acquired Strategy and Experience House, Stardotstar. 

In early 2020, commerce experts at CTI Digital and Nublue came to me with a plan to launch a commerce specialist agency brand called supercharged commerce. Which as you can tell if you take a look at superchargedcommerce.co.uk, was a smart move.

With a mix of organic growth and acquisitions, we've become known as more than just a 'dev agency', a description that took years to shake.

Organisations increasingly want the energy and specialist expertise of boutique and start-up agencies. But they need a frictionless way of getting specialists that want to work together. Separate agencies compete, and it can be draining. 

With CTI, you don't get that. 

We are one company. Familiar and united enough to remove politics and reduce operational costs, the savings of which are passed onto clients. But by remaining independent in the way they operate, each of our agency brands continues to up their game, improve their tech, and bring the best they possibly can.

The C-Word and its impact.

As a group, we must always be evolving, improving, and staying relevant in the digital market. 2020 has undoubtedly shaken up the world of digital and businesses approach to it. 

While the beginning of the pandemic had us bracing our teams for a tight few months, we were celebrating by the end of the year. We had secured two of our biggest ever contracts, and in November 2020, we had our best month as an agency collective ever.

I genuinely believe that Covid has accelerated digital expectations and online take-up in the last eleven months by over seven years. 

The fear of change stopped some companies investing in their digital experience and infrastructure, but Covid took away any semblance of 'choice'. Those that had already pivoted or were undertaking digital transformation at the time had great results. I believe our first-line support, now bolstered by Ixis's ISO-accredited team, will instil confidence in brands to react more rapidly and produce 'extraordinary digital experiences' as our clients describe them.

Next? Of course, there's already a 'next'!

The acquisition is not the last for this year, and we hope to complete another one within the next two months, which will substantially bolster our marketing and creative abilities. 

So, welcome to the team Ixis. Nublue, Stardotstar and supercharged are all ecstatic to have you here, as am I. Let’s see what 2021 has to throw at us. 

Learn more about the group at ctiholdings.co.uk.

Interested in working with us? Get in touch on our contact page.