Printable Edition Click Here  :  Subscribe   :   Page  4  : Comment   :  May 2005    Go to page:  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16           Previous Page      Next Page

Keith Evans, director of Prism, the management consultancy recruitment specialists, comments on the sustained rise of smaller, niche players within the management consultancy industry. Size isn't everything!     It is a long held truism that the most complex projects, prestigious clients, rigorous methodologies and quality of training are the preserve of the large, established players in the consulting world. But there are now significant numbers of established, smaller firms, usually tightly focused on a specific sector or functional area, who are successfully challenging perceptions on all these     fronts and also offering first class career alternatives.    Whilst for many of the big players regulatory and structural issues, combined with the economic downturn, meant that 2001-2003 was a lean time, many smaller organisations continued to prosper and grow during this period.    Often set up by Principals with a 'blue chip' consulting background, they put forward quality of     experience, rigorous sector and/or functional expertise and flexible and cost effective delivery, which proved a winning combination for clients. Equally, for their staff this represented the 'icing on the cake' in addition to the traditional benefits of moving to a smaller environment - a reduction in bureaucracy and the opportunity for increased personal responsibility. Trading off quality of clients and projects was no     longer necessary to enjoy these benefits and there was the opportunity to focus explicitly on areas of business consulting that were diminishing in profile within some of the larger players as they focused on ever larger projects, often based around outsourcing or technology propositions.    Smaller firms with quality propositions needed fewer clients to remain committed to projects in order to     grow successfully and enable them to buck the economic trend. Now that we have moved to a more positive point in the cycle, with the established players again looking to hire, they represent a real and valid career alternative for all levels of consultant.    The message seems clear and consistent. Size no longer matters!

Management Consultancy recruitment specialists Prism comment on the increasingly buoyant Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance market. Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance - the new recruitment hotspots?     In the context of an overall consultancy and advisory market, which is becoming increasingly active, this specialist area has become one of the recruitment "hot spots" over the last 18 months.    Managing risk has become a critical element within organisations. Corporate interest in this area is driven by both economic benefits and regulatory pressures. To a much greater extent, companies are now becoming aware of the competitive advantages     involved with having an effective risk management strategy and framework.    Companies are now faced with the increasing regulatory and compliance challenges imposed by the Basel II Accord, and also the wider issues of Sarbanes-Oxley and IAS39. Governing bodies and executive management in general will want to ensure that they are managing compliance with the regulations.    All of these factors have led to a significant increase in     demand for consultancy and business advisory services and a rapid building of a capability to address this. Prism is seeing a strong demand for candidates with relevant risk and regulatory compliance consultancy experience, but conversely firms are faced with a shortage in supply. As a result, numerous opportunities are now becoming available to individuals who perhaps have been faced with career "log jams" in their current organisations, to now fast track their careers     by becoming involved with this growing area.    Interestingly, this has resulted in a significant "window of opportunity" for those working within the financial services sector to make the transition into a management consultancy. This is reinforced by the fact that financial institutions are increasingly looking for risk advisory services that require consultants to have an in-depth knowledge of not just the regulations themselves, but also the     complex processes and wide ranging products offered by banks and insurance companies. Individuals from within financial services organisations have both the required knowledge of regulatory compliance but also most importantly, are seen to have practical experience from working on "the other side", thereby bringing with them 'coal face' experience.

Consulting Times | Page 4 Previous Page     Next Page