BrazilBearingPoint doubles team in Belgium with acquisition of Inpuls
Inpuls, a Belgium-based specialist in information management and data science, has joined forces with BearingPoint. The acquisition strengthens BearingPoint’s presence in the Belgian consulting market and enhances its data capabilities.
“The acquisition of Inpuls aligns with two core elements of our corporate strategy,” explained Kiumars Hamidian, Managing Partner of BearingPoint. “The acquisition doubles our size in Belgium.” Located in the capital city, BearingPoint’s Brussels office (Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi) serves the firm’s clients in Belgium’s €630+ million consulting industry, as well as organisations in the wider Benelux region, which includes the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
“With a team of skilled consultants we deliver business management and technology consulting to clients in commercial, financial and public services sectors in Belgium,” said Sylvain Chevallier, Partner in charge of the Belgian Office at BearingPoint. The addition of a team of around 15 professionals now doubles the local team to approximately 30, while adding a new office to its footprint – Inpuls is based in Lier, a city just outside of Antwerp, the country’s second most populous cities and a major trade and cultural centre.
“Second,” added Hamidian, “we enrich our portfolio focused on digitalisation, regulation and analytics. We believe data is at the heart of digital transformation and creates value propositions and competitive advantages for our clients.” Founded in 2014, Inpuls is specialised in digital, with a particular focus on data strategy, data governance, privacy (e.g. GDPR), big data and analytics. Among its offerings are propositions such as ‘information strategy’, ‘information governance’, ‘GDRP services’, ‘master data management’, ‘business intelligence’ and ‘artificial intelligence’. The company works for clients in several industries including telecom, financial services, pharmaceuticals and retail.
Eric Falque, a Frenchman who leads BearingPoint’s France, Benelux and Africa (FBA) division, elaborated on the second deal rationale: “We share the conviction with our clients that data paves the way for the development streams of digitalisation, from robotisation, artificial intelligence and blockchain to internet of things and predictive analytics. Adding the expertise of Impuls enables us to add higher value to our clients.”
According to Falque, expertise in information management and data sciences is rooted in the firm's DNA. Early 2012, the European-origin consultancy first set up a practice dedicated to data science, while in February that year the firm purchased Hypercube to ramp up its ambitions in the realm.
A DNA match
For Jan Henderyckx, CEO of Inpuls, the strong DNA and cultural match was one of the main reasons to join BearingPoint’s footprint. “With BearingPoint we share common values and the vision of bringing innovative solutions to our clients.” He added that BearingPoint’s global reach – the firm has around 4,500 employees in 20+ countries mainly in EMEA, while alliances with several large regional consultancies provide it a global reach – will allow Inpuls to upscale its offerings “to a broader set of clients, both in Belgium and internationally.”
Together, the move serves the firm’s aim of upping its market share in the rapidly growing digital transformation consulting marketplace. According to analyst firm Source Global Research, the market has doubled over the past twelve months to a value of $44 billion globally. Western economies, including Belgium, are leading the growth rush on the back of more mature digital infrastructures and client behaviour inclined to adopt digital as a catalyst for the execution of business strategies.
“We concentrate on European clients, enabling them to become global leaders,” remarked Chevallier. In doing so, BearingPoint’s data science team will work closely together with the firm’s other practices within its Technology unit, which offers propositions including the likes of digital strategy, IT transformation, operational excellence in IT, agile engineering, software selection, ERP system implementation, and technology-led innovation.
As part of the integration, BearingPoint and Inpuls will restructure their combined Belgian team around four market offers: Digital & Strategy, Finance & Regulatory, Operations, and Technology, with the latter led by Jan Henderyckx, who joined BearingPoint as a Partner.
The purchase of Inpuls comes one and a half years after the BearingPoint closed a large acquisition in the United Kingdom. The addition of LCP Consulting, a supply chain consultancy with around 30 consultants, lifted the firm’s UK footprint to 300+ consultants. Across the board, BearingPoint however has a select strategy for M&A, with the main part of its growth in recent years (the firm generated revenues of €710 million last year, up from €514 million in 2011) achieved organically.
Related: BearingPoint IT Advisory supports clients with digital transformation.
