The move boosts Ipsos’ presence in the Australian market and its services in the government and social sectors, customer and employee experience, and its global public affairs business.

Big Village Australia conducts federal government programmes, works with clients in the professional services and IT sectors on customer experience, and conducts employee experience assessment and advisory services for government and commercial clients.

Global marketing and advertising business Engine rebranded to Big Village in the US, Europe and Australia in 2022.

Big Village sold its insights and agency divisions for approximately $20m to Bright Mountain Media in April this year, after filing for bankruptcy in February.

The terms of the Ipsos deal have not been disclosed.

Ben Page, chief executive, Ipsos (pictured), said: “The acquisition is at the heart of our ambition to grow in public sector research and develop our Australian business to be the largest best-in-class market research agency. Big Village Australia brings some more great people to Ipsos and further expands our reach in Australia.”

Simon Wake, ANZ chief executive at Ipsos, added the deal would “help grow Ipsos’ operational expertise in the Australian market with highly complementary skillsets in data collection, government, social and customer experience research” and bring new expertise in employee experience.

Wendy McInnes, Big Village Australia director of insights, said: “We are thrilled to become part of Ipsos, with its focus on being fiercely independent. Not only are our skillsets complementary, at the heart, so are our values of putting our clients and our people first.”

Ipsos appointed Jean-Michel Mabon to lead mergers and acquisitions in September 2022, with a focus on extending the its reach in key sectors and technologies. In February this year, the company bought New York-based business-to-business research startup Xperiti, and in May, it agreed to acquire Chinese prescription drugs insights business Shanghai Focus RX Research.