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UK consulting sector surges ahead with 15% year-on-year growth
 
 The UK consulting sector
is booming again, with
official figures this
week showing firms
achieved year-on-year
revenue growth of 15% in
the 12 month period to
end 2004. The figures,
released today by the
Management Consultancies
Association, show that
pure management
consultancy has also
rebounded with annual
growth hitting 8.6%
after a period of
stagnation.
   IT Consulting was up
17.1% year-on-year,		 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 endured a period of
subdued revenues which
decimated consultants'
aspirations of quickly
rising through the
ranks. Renewed growth
across all sectors of
the consulting
profession signals an
end to this period of
subdued career
progression prospects.
   Commenting on future
growth areas, Lynton
Barker (MCA President
2004/5 and Chairman of
Hedra) stated:
   "MCA members expect
to be involved in other		 
 transport and
infrastructure projects
in the coming months
particularly if London
is successful in its bid
to host the next
Olympics. Our members
are also predicting
further work with the
financial services,
construction and
property, overseas
sector and the public
sector."
   Accenture, BT,
Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM
Business Consulting, PA
Consulting and
PricewaterhouseCoopers		 
 are just some of the
major brand firms that
are members of the MCA
and whose data provide
these revenue trend
guidelines for the UK
consulting sector.
Full-year revenues for
2004 are estimated at
£10bn and the management
consultancy industry is
expected to contribute
more than £1bn to the
balance of payments,
making it an
increasingly important
contributor to the UK
economy.
   		 
 while Outsourcing grew
23.3%, but it is the
renewed demand for
strategy and business
consulting assignments
that has really got the
industry excited. These
business lines - and
most noticeably strategy
consulting - have		 
 
Atos Origin returns to profit; signs its biggest UK deal
 
 Atos Origin returned to
profit in 2004, helped
by an increase in IT
spending and the
successful management of
its Sema acquisition.
   Atos Origin reported
a net profit of 11
million euros ($14.7m)
for the year ending
December 2004, compared
to a net loss of 169
million euros ($227m) in		 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
    The company said its
results were helped by
the Sema acquisition
that was completed at
the beginning of 2004
and the upturn in the
market.
   Atos is predicting
that it will achieve
underlying revenue
growth of at least 5
percent and an operating
margin of 7.5 percent to		 
 8.0 percent in 2005,
basing its forecast on a
"clear recovery in the
market, on the steady
flow of new orders
announced since the
beginning of the second
half of 2004, and an
increase in [their]
pipeline of order
opportunities."
   In other news, Atos
announced it has won a		 
 7-year UK government
contract worth 750
million euros ($960m).
   The deal, which is
Atos Origin's largest
ever UK contract win, is
a business process
outsourcing (BPO)
contract to run medical
assessment services for
benefits claims to the
Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP). 		 
 2003.
   Sales increased 75
percent from 3.03bn
euros ($4.07bn) in 2003,
to 5.30bn euros
($7.11bn) in 2004. 		 
 
MCG returns to profit
 
 Management Consulting
Group PLC (MCG) returned
to profit in 2004 thanks
in part to a
"significant
improvement" in the
performance of its
Parson Consulting
business - stimulated by
an increase in
Sarbanes-Oxley related
work.
   For the year ended 31
December 2004, MCG		 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 million, compared to a
loss of £3.8 million in
2003. The group said
exchange rate movements
had only a small impact
on their operating
profit because they
largely matched the
currency of their costs
with the currency of
their sales.
   "During 2004 our
trading improved
significantly, with		 
 Parson Consulting
doubling in size and
Proudfoot Consulting
performing strongly,"
said Chief Executive
Kevin Parry.
   Group revenue in the
first two months of 2005
has matched the level of
the first two months of
last year, while the
cumulative order book of
both Proudfoot
Consulting and Parson		 
 Consulting is some 10
percent up since the
beginning of the year.
   "In 2005, our
existing orders and
prospects, together with
the expanded service
offering, will position
us well to deliver
further growth." said
Parry.
   		 
 reported turnover of
£119.2 million, up 35
percent from £88.6
million in 2003. At
constant exchange rates
turnover growth was 44
percent.
   Profit was £8.5		 
 
Wipro opens new office in Germany
 
 Wipro Technologies has
opened a new office in
Munich, its third centre
in Germany. It will be
staffed by local
language consultants and
driven by the developing		 
  
   
 
 
 
 Duesseldorf, marks the
next phase of the
company's plans for
investment in expanding
its German
infrastructure.
   As demand grows for		 
 nearshore facilities,
the office will expand
as a development centre
to provide comprehensive
IT services and local
language delivery.
   Europe represents 30		 
 percent of Wipro's IT
services global revenues
and is growing more than
50 percent year-on-year,
with Germany being one
of the top growth
markets. 		 
 business needs of German
companies. The third
office, after Kiel and		 
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