"Having good market intelligence is no longer optional in this day and age"
Rakesh Pabbi - Senior Partner
Concerns surrounding the UK government’s search for a private consultancy firm to assist with the implementation of Brexit continued to grow last week, as the chairwoman of a spending watchdog warned taxpayers they are in danger of being short-changed by the process.
The World Economic Forum, a renowned network for global development and public-private cooperation, has admitted Sia Partners into its membership programme. The move sees Sia Partners join a select group of the most influential companies worldwide, including top consultancies such as McKinsey & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, Accenture and the Big Four.
The UK Department for International Development commissioned Ecorys to provide independent reviews and support for its five interlocking State Level Programmes in Nigeria. The reviews, throughout the processes, supported the iterative development of the programmes, and will now form a background for the DFID’s planning for the Operational Plan 2016-2020.
Accenture has acquire Belgium-based design agency Kunstmaan. The acquisition adds around 70 professionals to Accenture's growing footprint in the digital design and consultancy space in Europe. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Mazars UK saw its revenue grow by 7% last year to £160 million, continuing a winning run. The firm, which recently refreshed its executive team, now has 140 partners and 1,700 employees across 19 offices.
Marsh subsidiary Dovetail Insurance has partnered with insurance technology services firm Duck Creek. The partnership aims to support Dovetail Insurance scale its technology platform, focused on supporting independent insurance agents service the SME sector in the US.
Information Services Group booked relatively slow growth last year, in part due to softness in the UK market as well as acquisitions and severance costs. Revenue on a constant-currency basis was up 4% on the year previous to $216.5 million, while operating income stood at a loss of $2.6 million loss. For 2017, the firm is betting on improved organic growth and a considerable boost from the acquisition of Alsbridge
Satriun Group, a consulting firm specialised in corporate performance management, has in recent months ramped up its footprint in the DACH region. Among the new joiners is Michael Krause, who has been named Head of the firm’s Zurich office – Krause joined from PwC, where he spent over six years in the company’s Advisory arm.
Industry 4.0 and its array of technologies are rapidly being developed, with the potential to create considerable disruption within the wider manufacturing space. To provide insights into the potential of the various technologies involved in the wider integration of vertical and horizontal supply chains, McKinsey & Company has launched two new Digital Capability Centers, one in Germany and one in Singapore.
Accenture has acquired Wales-based automation consulting and business process firm Genfour for an undisclosed sum. The addition will be integrated into the firm's Center of Excellence for Intelligent Automation in the UK, which is part of Accenture's wider technology platform.
Pulse Flexible Packaging, a Bury-based packing producer, has, following an operational snag, entered into administration. KPMG has been called in as joint administrator, tasked with returning the company of around 350 people back to operation and identifying possible buyers.
Point B has launched a new office in Boston, New England. The new hub, its tenth in the US, will support regional businesses with transformation and performance management. The firm has hired consulting industry veteran Gerry Johnson as Practice Director to lead the office.
With over 600 consultants, Point B is one of the larger professional services firms in the US. The firm, which supports clients with management consulting, venture capital investment and property development, has further boosted its presence across North America with a tenth office.
The new office, based in Boston, New England, comes sixth months after it also established a presence in Texas. The Boston arm supports the region’s business community with a range of services, including delivery of business transformations, performance improvement and digital.
The new office will be led by New England Practice Director, Gerry Johnston. He joins the firm from Behavioral Health Services Organization, where he was most recently its Vice President of Operations Transformation Strategy. His earlier career includes senior positions at a range of organisations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Arcadia Solutions, Venzyme Venture Catalyst, Realise, MoTech Software, Mason Organization, and IBM, where he started his career in 1984. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Mathematics from the Brunel University London.
In his role at head of the office, he will lead client engagements and delivery within the region. He brings more than 30 years of experience to the consulting firm, including extensive advisory experience in, among others, transformational change initiatives, cost management, program and project management and customer insights and analytics.
Commenting on the firm’s edge in the consultancy landscape, Johnston says, “Point B is known for local consultants doing the right things for local clients. This model, coupled with the ability to tap into industry experts across the firm’s footprint, puts Point B in a great position to immediately drive value for organisations in New England.”
He adds, "We help New England organisations innovate, meet regulatory requirements, navigate rapid change, care for their people and grow their top and bottom lines in extraordinary ways.”
Robotics Process Automation (RPA) is gaining traction globally across various industries, with a multitude of vendors and solutions now available to all and sundry. Paul Nielsen, an advisor at FiSer Consulting, reflects on the growing trend and provides four considerations for RPA trade-offs.
Accenture has acquired Focus Group Europe for an undisclosed sum. The London-based ServiceNow provider adds around 70 professionals and a number of high-level certificates and certifications in the ServiceNow space to the firm. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Capgemini has picked up Itelios, a France-based omni-channel journey consultancy firm. The bolt-on boosts the firm's capabilities in the increasingly hot design consultancy space, while allowing Itelios to better serve its people and clients among fierce competition.
Iconic shoe retailer Jones Bootmaker will continue to operate in the UK, following the sale of the company to Endless, a UK-based private equity firm. The shoe retailer will see 25 of its 97 stores close, while around 840 jobs in the UK will be retained. KPMG was the joint administrator to the deal, the value of which was not disclosed.
The Cranfield School of Management has joined forces with Grant Thornton to develop a new leadership programme. The new module, which can be funded by companies using the Apprenticeship Levy funds, is a two year part-time programme, integrating academic theory, commercial insights and practical application.
Atos saw revenue hit €11.7 billion in 2016, on recorded growth of 9.7% year-on-year. The firm’s growth was largely driven by inorganic expansion, with organic growth at around 1.8%. The professional services firm plans to continue to expand inorganically in 2017, with a target of 6% assigned to M&A growth and 2% to organic growth.
In the face of increasing demand from financial services institutions across the globe looking to develop solutions in the payments space, Accenture has acquired First Annapolis Consulting for an undisclosed sum.
In a bid to develop a building that meets high sustainability standards, as well as embodies circular economic principals, a consortium of Dutch companies are developing the Dutch "Windwheel". Arup is one of the companies involved in the development of the new, soon iconic, buildings in Rotterdam – and provisions the design phase with a range of advisory services.
