In this month’s Movers, we highlight a number of key movements in the consulting market, with major strategy players, such as Roland Berger, Oliver Wyman, and Strategy& making multiple hires and promotions across EMEA. Meanwhile, it seems that 2024 may be the year of the PE-backed consulting firm, with Ankura and Stax strengthening their presence in key markets.
Moreover, we are still seeing the impact of promotion season, with companies announcing the latest members to secure promotions since the turn of the year. Finally, the ongoing evolution of the market continues, as private equity funds continue to invest in professional services assets, and top-tier consulting firms further their offerings through the acquisition of boutique outfits.
People Moves
Jonathan Boyers has joined Alvarez and Marsal as a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance for EMEA. Jonathan joins the firm after spending 35+ years at KPMG, where he held positions as Head of UK Corporate Finance and Vice Chair of KPMG UK.
Susan Blower has joined Ankura after over 13 years at BDO. She will be joining the PE-backed firm as a Senior Managing Director within their Global Disputes & Economics practice. She will offer dispute advisory and expert witness services with a focus on complex valuations and damages in litigation, international arbitration, and investment treaty disputes.
Giorgio Libotte has joined PwC’s Deal capability in London, becoming a member of the Value Creation & Realisation team. He joins from the Milan-based PE fund, Nextalia, where he was a Partner and a member of the Investment Committee. Prior to Nextalia, he was a Partner and leader of McKinsey’s European Private Equity and Corporate Finance practices.
EY-Parthenon in Germany has hired Patrick Grünewald from Strategy&, where he has joined the firms Health Care and Life Sciences practice as a Partner. He will bring his expertise in serving Life Sciences companies from strategy to implementation and transformation services.
After 18 years at Accenture Ajay Parmar has joined EY, where he will continue to serve the Energy, Retail, Pharma and Financial Services markets on functional topic areas such as operating model design, organization design and effectiveness, zero-based budgeting and digital transformation.
Abdulelah AlBarrak has joined Oliver Wyman’s Saudi Arabia partnership, where he will be a member of their Public Sector & Policy practice. Abdulelah joins after nine years at Accenture, where he was developing strategies for national economic development, sectoral restructuring, business strategies, data & AI programs, and digital transformation.
Stax, the PE-owned strategy consulting firm, have appointed Philip Dunne as their new UK Managing Director, with responsibility to lead the growth for their expansion in EMEA. Stax focuses on serving clients on commercial due diligence, value creation, and exit planning for private equity firms.
Patricia Alonso De La Fuente has joined Alvarez and Marsal’s Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Practice in US, Spain, and Latin America. Patricia is joining after having over 20 years at KPMG.
BDO has hired Lucy Saunders from Blick Rothenburg, where she will join the Private Client Tax team as a Partner. Lucy brings with her 20+ years of experience and expertise in advising international HNWIs on complex tax matters including matrimonial, succession, inheritance, trust and company areas.
In Bristol, Phil Duma has joined BDO as a Partner from PwC, where he will continue serving entrepreneurial owner-managed businesses and private equity investors on transaction services matters.
Niko von Tippelskirch has joined Alvarez & Marsal to lead their Financial Services practice in Germany and co-lead Financial Services across the DACH. Niko brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously held roles such as Senior Advisor at BCG and Managing Director at Deutsche Bank.
Alvarez & Marsal have also strengthened their Switzerland team with the hire of Massimo Carassinu from Swiss Re. He has joined their Financial Services team as a Managing Director, and brings expertise in devising and implementing market entry strategies and digital transformation programs.
Alvarez & Marsal have additionally boosted their presence in India through the hire of Himanshu Bajaj, who has previously held the positions of Senior Partner at Kearney. Himanshu will be joining as Managing Director and A&M India Country Co-Leader.
Rödl & Partner are growing in the UK, with the hire of Rishi Daggar from KPMG. He joins as an Associate Partner where he will focus on serving clients on transaction services (FDD) work, as well as building out their newly established London office.
Oliver Wyman has added another Partner to their Middle East team, with Joe Abi Akl joining their Dubai office as a Senior Partner and leader of its Retail & Consumer Goods practice across the Middle East, India and Africa region. Joe joins from Majid Al Futtaim, where he was the Managing Director of Xsight Future Solutions.
Roland Berger are strengthening their Industrials capability in Saudi Arabia, with the hire of Ibai Corera from IDOM, who focuses on industrials, sustainable mining & metals, energy transition, and decarbonization.
Joachim Deinlein has joined Kearney from Oliver Wyman, where he has become a member of their Automotive practice in Germany.
People Promotions
Alix Partners have just announced the promotion of both Christian Leber and Daniel Makowski as the new co-leads of their Aerospace, Defense & Airlines practice in DACH region.
Similarly, A&M have also promoted Yann Varin to the level of Managing Director within their Private Equity Performance Improvement (PEPI) practice, based out of Paris.
Rachel Barton has taken the role of Global Private Equity Lead at Accenture’s strategy arm. As a Senior Managing Director, Rachel has previously held both UK&I- and EMEA-level leadership positions for the firm.
Succeeding Rachel, Michael Brueckner will now lead Accenture’s Strategy capability across EMEA. Having joined Accenture from Arthur D. Little in 1999, Michael has a wealth of experience in the business.
Efficio have promoted three new Vice Presidents across their UK and US businesses: in London, Mert Erkan will continue to serve Private Equity clients, with Dan Peck co-leading the Public Sector practice. Across the pond in New York, Waldo Saville will continue to develop the US business, as well as leading the charge for the global manufacturing team.
Alvarez & Marsal have announced seven new country heads across EMEA: Marija Simovic and Marvin Rust will lead the UK office, with Cristina Almeida and Alejandro González leading Spain and Portugal. Steffen Koner will oversee the German business, and Bernhard Engel will manage Austria and the rest of the CEE region. Shepard Spink will lead A&M in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Strategy& Middle East has promoted six new Partners across the business: Devesh Katiyar, Fawaz Bou Alwan, Irfan Merali, Tarek Matar, Vivek Madan, and Zahi Awad. Between them, they bring combined expertise across Energy, TMT, Healthcare, Digital, Industrials and Financial Services.
Zeb Consulting has announced nine new Partner promotions: Detlev Ahrens, Bork N. Bröker, Udo Jacobasch, Bernd Liesenkötter, Dirk Queisner, Julian Schmeing, Martin Seidenberg, Andreas Sumper, and Christoph Wienert.
German-based restructuring and transformation specialist firm, FTI-Andersch, have announced the promotion of Lukas Thesker to Partner (Senior Managing Director). They have also promoted Franziska Schmitt, Christopher Weiß and Dominik Weiß to the role of Managing Director.
The Amsterdam office of Oliver Wyman has announced the promotion of two new Partners within their Financial Services practice: Tim de Vries, who is specialized in payments, retail banking, and fintech, and Hugo Grimbel du Bois, who covers risk, compliance, and financial crime, an offering he leads within the Netherlands.
Market Intelligence
New York-based management consultancy, Ankura, has acquired Lumeri, a Denver-based organizational consulting firm. Lumeri specializes in strategic leadership, transformation services, and has expertise in women’s leadership advancement and sustainability initiatives. With 16 employees, Lumeri operates in Denver, LA, Chicago, and London.
McKinsey‘s global managing partner, Bob Sternfels, faces a run-off against Rodney Zemmel after failing to secure majority support in the second round of the leadership ballot. Sternfels, seeking a second term, grapples with concerns over his leadership and handling of cost cuts. Zemmel, McKinsey Digital’s head, emerged as a strong challenger. Sternfels, if unsuccessful, would be the second consecutive global managing partner pushed out after one term. The firm, dealing with legal issues and industry slowdown, has undergone layoffs and strategic adjustments.
H&Z Management Consulting and EMZ Partners have joined forces in a strategic partnership, with EMZ acquiring a substantial stake to fuel H&Z’s growth. The aim is to create a European consulting leader in value chain management, transformation, and sustainability. Around 120 employees will become stakeholders, marking one of the largest employee shareholder programs in the European consulting industry, with half of them investing in the company for the first time.