PA Consulting Group Asia

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

London calling

London-based PA Consulting Group began as Personnel Administration in 1943.  Originally, its business consisted of hiring and training workers for Britain's busy factories during World War II; one of its first projects was a program that taught housewives how to assemble tail guns for bomber aircrafts.  PA grew in the postwar years, bringing more consultants onboard and expanding its reach to Scandinavia and Australia, and by 1970 it was the largest management consultancy in the world. A worldwide consulting industry decline in the 1990s—the result of recessions in the 1980s—hit PA hard.  Nearly half its staff was let go, and the firm spent most of the early 1990s in a state of restructuring and streamlining. It survived and was profitable again by 1993.

Today, PA has operations in 35 countries, largely in Europe, but also in Asia Pacific and North America.  Its areas of focus include corporate strategy, human resources, marketing, and technology and systems integration, and it serves public- and private-sector clients in industries like energy, health care, manufacturing, telecommunications and financial services.  Among its noteworthy clients are Nissan, Citibank, BBC, Pepsi and BP.  With no audit arm or links to third-party vendors, the employee-owned PA likes to brag that its independence sets it apart from its competitors.

The firm’s consulting business in Asia has performed well lately.  In 2008, total turnover for PA's Asia Pacific consulting operations was GBP 21.3 million, an increase of 30.5 percent from previous year.  The firm operates in a handful of countries throughout the region, including mainland China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand.  PA previously had operations in Australia as well, but these were shuttered in 2007 after a strategic review of Asia Pacific operations.  In September of that year, the firm underwent another major change: Bruce Tindale stepped down as CEO after 30 years with the firm, including four years as the big boss.  He was replaced by Alan Middleton, head of the firm's IT strategy business.