egis� new chief executive Robert Lerwill said that the media buying and research company would not be crowded out by international marketing groups such as Omnicom and WPP because it offers clients "neutral advice". Aegis, home to the Carat and Vizeum media buying networks and the Synovate market research business, has been criticised in some quarters for lacking the scale to compete with the giants of the advertising industry.

But Lerwill, who took on the top job last month at the �1.2 billion group, said it was a more reliable option for its clients than its bigger rivals. He said that Aegis, which competes with the likes of WPP�s MindShare and the Havas-owned Media Planning Group, was able to "develop the techniques to decide which media is right [for clients]".... more