Civitta enters Scandinavian market with office in Helsinki, Finland

Baltic-origin management consultancy Civitta has opened an office in Finland, the firm’s 1st in Scandinavia and 18th across Europe. The new locale in Helsinki is led by Tuomas Virtanen, a Finnish national who earlier this year joined Civitta from a growth-oriented professional services firm.

Since launching in 2005, Civitta has booked sustained growth. From its headquarter in Tartu, Estonia, the management consulting firm embarked on a growth trajectory that has since seen it enter eleven different consulting markets – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, Serbia, and the United Kingdom. The firm’s latest venture into greenfield terrain, market entry into Finland, means the consultancy is better positioned to serve clients in Helsinki and the wider region. 

The move is part of Civitta’s strategy to establish an on the ground presence in the Nordics, explained Riivo Anton, one of the firm’s co-founders. “Finland and the other Nordic countries are a great opportunity for us.” One of the reasons behind the attractiveness of the Nordics is the healthy growing consulting market: the Nordic consulting industry grew at nearly 6% last year, and consultants in the region are forecast to enjoy similar fortunes this year.

Another major growth driver is the intensifying ties between the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and the Nordics (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland). The ties build on closer diplomatic and business relations, encouraged by a more active regional cooperation format (eg. NB8) and integration of consumer markets, and this in turn is growing the share of business among the eight countries. “The Baltics and Nordics are rapidly growing closer to each other, and we wish to be a part of this development. We are seeing strong demand for transparent and high-quality management consultancy services from Nordic companies operating in the Baltics and Eastern Europe,” stated Civitta’s Anton.

Helsinki, Finland’s capital city

The foray into Finland means that Civitta has chosen to enter Scandinavia by touching down in the region’s smallest market. Finland’s management consulting industry is estimated by local consulting association LJK to be worth some €2.5 billion. The number however relates to all consulting work billed in the country by all types of firms – a more conservative estimate on the addressable market for leading consulting firms such as Civitta would bring the estimate down to the tune of €500 million, according to an assessment by researchers at Source Global Research, a UK-based analyst firm for the consultancy landscape.

At the helm of the new Finnish operation stands Tuomas Virtanen, who prior to joining in May this year spent five years with Reddal, a professional services firm focused on growth with offices in Helsinki, Seoul, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. Virtanen, who obtained a Master of Science in Finance from Finland’s Aalto University, most recently served Reddal as a Manager. “The initial response in the market has been very positive,” he commented on the launch in his home country, adding, “the Helsinki team currently consists of four local consultants.” Globally, the firm now employs approximately 250 consultants.

Asked about the firm’s local service portfolio, he said,“We see a lot of growth potential as businesses struggle with digitalisation and transformation. The demand for diverse, high-value problem solving is strong. Data volumes are growing at a huge pace, and we believe that successful companies must seamlessly integrate data analytics with their strategy. We are here to help with that.” 

Virtanen continued; “CIVITTA Finland helps Nordic businesses grow in their home markets, offers support in market entry and business development in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, and provides sourcing services of data analysts and other problem-solving capabilities for organisations.” 

Earlier this year, Civitta expanded into Saint Petersburg, which marked its 2nd office in Russia after Kaliningrad. Meanwhile, in Finland, last month local Salesforce partner Fluido Oy was picked up by Infosys Consulting for a reported €65 million, while last year Analysys Mason, a consultancy for the telecoms industry, bought Finland’s Nexia Management Consulting to spearhead its entry into the Nordics.