Carat has retained its position as the world’s leading media agency, according to the latest RECMA ranking – topping the list for the sixth time in the last seven reports.

The Dentsu Aegis Network agency regained top spot in RECMA’s qualitative Network Diagnostics report in November, overtaking GroupM’s MediaCom, which had assumed top spot in June 2015.

MediaCom once again finds itself in second place, with MEC and OMD remaining in third and four places respectively. ZenithOptimedia climbs a place to complete the top five.

Carat said the report reflects its successes across most of the top 16 markets.

Will Swayne, Carat’s global president, said: “We are thrilled to be named the number one global media agency in RECMA’s latest Qualitative Network Diagnostics report. Maintaining our leadership position reflects the momentum we have in the market, driven by our talented staff and ambition to redefine media to achieve better business outcomes for our clients.”

The RECMA award is based on an assessment of 650 agencies across 42 countries, with evaluation scores against 19 criteria, including new business success, talent and strength and stability of management.