Small Jewels 2009: Alas Consulting

Harjinder Sidhu is the managing director of Alas Consulting

To hear that a financial services consultancy is treading water in this economy is impressive. But to hear of one that's growing from $18 million in 2008 to $24 million in 2009—well that's truly something special. And that's exactly what Alas Consulting is doing, says Harjinder Sidhu, managing director of the firm. "The firm is built upon industry expertise," Sidhu explains, "and when you're using Alas, you're actually talking to somebody who has been in your shoes and understands and empathizes with the problems that you're facing."

Sidhu says hiring the right people and staying true to the company mission has helped fuel the firm's success. Specialization is key, he emphasizes. "We're not talking about advising our clients on investment strategies; we're very much about control and efficiency, making sure our clients are processing transactions, often high volume, high in materiality in terms of dollars, in an efficient and controlled way." Alas does a great deal of business process re-engineering, control and efficiency reviews and integration work, he says.