Accenture enters the Scottish Consulting market
Date: 04-07-2007
Source: The Scotsman
Accenture, the global consulting, technology and outsourcing services firm, is to boost its Scottish presence to capture a larger share of a market worth an estimated GBP 2 billion.
Trevor Hatton, a London based partner for the global firm, has relocated to Edinburgh and will head up a team of around 30 staff to break into the Scottish market.
The company already has an office in Aberdeen servicing oil and gas clients, but Hatton says he believes the financial services and government operations in Edinburgh warrant an increased focus.
Hatton said: "There is so much scope for us to grow our business in Scotland. We have looked at the economics of the market and it is not cost-effective for us to win contracts from London, Manchester and Newcastle.
"We are witnessing a growth phase and need to be here. "Until now we have never really focused on Scotland as a separate market, although we have clients in the financial services, utilities, drinks and oil and gas sectors."
Accenture's research suggests the potential market in Scotland is large and is predicted to grow rapidly. Hatton said outsourcing remains the most important segment for his firm, followed by project services and business consulting.
"We believe the business will grow by 7.4 per cent to nearly GBP 3bn by 2011 in Scotland. The talent pool is here. The quality of graduates is high and we are exploring setting up a delivery centre in Glasgow to focus on outsourcing there." Government spending on consultants has increased by almost a third reaching GBP 2.8bn during 2005 to 2006. IT and project management skills were cited as the most frequently purchased.
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