PA Consulting Group, the London-based strategy and operations firm of 2,000 consultants, is well known for the work it does across the pond. Now, it's trying to grow its brand in the U.S., according to Andrew Hooke, chief operating officer of PA Consulting. And with the U.S. representing only about 20 percent of the firm's $720 million business, he acknowledges the firm's got some work to do. Consulting 's editor-in-chief, Joe Kornik sat down to talk with Hooke about the business strategy.
Consulting: How does PA Consulting go about building brand recognition in the U.S.?
Hooke: There's no doubt that brand recognition is one of our biggest challenges. PA Consulting is often known for single service or a single area of strength, and my desire is to be known for a wider range of services that we provide. Our real strength, I think, is the ability to take a high-level, strategic problem and deliver a very grounded solution, a result that realizes the practicalities of whatever environment we happen to be working in.
Consulting: Where do you see those opportunities for growing the U.S. market?
Hooke: We have a very strong energy business with a world-renowned brand in that sector, so there's a real pocket of strength there. We see lots of opportunity in the U.S. around energy. In addition, we have other opportunities around life sciences and in the IT space. Right now, the U.S. represents about 20 percent of our business. I don't have a hard target as to what percentage I'd like to see that become, but the goal is to grow the business profitably in the U.S., as we have done in the U.K and Europe.
Consulting: Those markets have been very successful.
Hooke: We're probably having the best year that we've ever had. I think that's due to a number of reasons, but the biggest one is that we've stayed focused on a key proposition—rather than being in the back office of our clients, we're trying to be in the front office. In addition, we have coverage across both the public and private sectors, we have coverage across several geographies and we have coverage across several disciplines, so I think all of that helps.
Consulting: What sectors do you serve?
Hooke: I mentioned energy. But we also do a lot of work in the manufacturing, financial services, government, health and intelligence sectors. We like to position ourselves in the boardroom working with C-level clients. We work with senior management to achieve results. We're really focused on influencing the thinking of clients in a much earlier stage to identify areas where we can add value, not just solve problems. We're also focused on how we, as
a consulting firm, continue to demonstrate value. That may sound obvious, but are we doing enough to communicate our value to clients? Again, not
just solving a problem but its overall impact on the top and bottom lines and other financial measures.
Consulting: How are you doing that?
Hooke: Well, one of the unique aspects of PA is that we have a ventures arm called Ipex Capital. This is where we take the intellectual capital around the technology and—when appropriate—turn it into businesses. I think it's a very effective model from a consulting perspective because we're actually turning our ideas into businesses, full end-to-end strategic solutions.
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