Strengthens Company’s Leadership Position in Staffing for Creative, Marketing and Communications

Sydney, Australia (April 18, 2005) — Aquent, a global firm specialising in staffing solutions for the creative, marketing and communications industries, today announced its acquisition of Adelaide-based recruitment firm, Artstar Recruitment Management. The deal officially closed on March 22, 2005 .

“This acquisition is a perfect match and a logical step in Aquent’s growth strategy,” said Greg Savage, CEO of Aquent Asia Pacific. “It also delivers an unmatched delivery model to clients and candidates in Adelaide .”

Mr Savage said the acquisition combines the strength of Aquent’s global network of Creative, Marketing and Communications candidates, with Artstar’s leadership position in the Creative and Advertising industries in Adelaide .

“We acquired Artstar because it was a great strategic partner for us”, Mr Savage said. “Aquent and Artstar have been very successful in their own niche, and both companies have shared a real commitment to innovation and the quality of the service they provide. This commitment to service will continue into the future with the added benefit of enhanced resources and candidate reach regionally and globally.

“During the past two and a half years, Aquent has embarked on a carefully mapped out, expansion and growth strategy and there is more to come,” Mr Savage said. “In Adelaide , we plan to build on the already strong Artstar recruitment business and will ensure that clients and candidates in Adelaide will further benefit from our knowledge, experience and reach in Creative, Marketing, PR, Account Service and Media.”

Artstar’s previous owner Kirsty Parkin, will continue to manage and build Aquent’s office in Adelaide and foster their existing relationships with Talent and Clients.

“We saw Aquent’s acquisition of Artstar as the perfect synergy for our company,” said Kirsty Parkin. “New and existing clients now have a broader array of specialties from which to choose and a larger Talent pool to service them . Through a worldwide network of nearly 70 offices in 16 countries, we can now recruit and provide clients with the best creative, marketing and communications Talent available.”

About Aquent:

Aquent (aquent.com) is a global professional services firm that delivers total staffing, consulting and outsourcing solutions for Marketing, Communications and Creative. Through a network of nearly seventy offices in sixteen countries, Aquent services in the areas of print and Web design and Production; Advertising and Media, Marketing, Public Relations and Marcomm support. In its seventeen-year history Aquent has made nearly 400,000 matches of independent professionals with client companies worldwide. The company’s Asia-Pacific headquarters are in Sydney.