BrazilTop strategy and management consulting firms in the Netherlands
According to executives in the country, BMC Advies, Deloitte and KPMG Advisory are the best management consultancy firms in the Netherlands. In the top three best strategy consultancy firms, Deloitte is accompanied by Atos Consulting and Big Four advisory rival EY Advisory. KPMG Advisory also scores high here with a fourth place.
Since 2001 Dutch business magazine Management Team (MT) has charted the satisfaction of managers about business service providers and consultancy firms with an annual survey. Almost 2,600 decision-makers of the Dutch business community participated in the latest poll, offering opinions on over 1,000 service providers spread across 53 categories. The list is regarded as an important benchmark for managers who are looking for the best advisors and service providers to support complex issues.
Management consulting
In the most recent rankings, the management consulting category is headed by BMC Advies. The consultancy, which focuses on the public sector, was acquired at the end of last year by Yacht, which has since become one of the largest business service providers in the Netherlands. The acquisition by the subsidiary of staffing giant Randstad seems to have majorly benefitted the image of the firm. Deloitte, the second largest consulting firm in the world in 2016, placed second, followed by KPMG Advisory, the advisory branch of rival KPMG, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary.
PwC, the largest advisory group worldwide in 2016, finished fourth in the ranking this year – climbing one place on its previous position. The consultancy scored highest among all players in the ranking on customer focus, but according to managers there are still improvement points on product leadership, where KPMG predominates. Berenschot, which according to business leaders was still among the top three best management consultancy firms last year, closes the top five this year. The oldest consultancy firm in the Netherlands has been led by a new CEO since May this year – Hans van der Molen succeeded Theo Camps, who held the position for no less than fourteen years.
After Berenschot, fellow Dutch nationals Twynstra Gudde follow, with the organisation rising two places this year compared to last year. AFAS Software, which increasingly profiles itself as a trainer of young digital talent, were next, in seventh place. IT consulting giant Accenture positioned eighth, narrowly ahead of rival Capgemini Consulting and the last representative of the Big Four, EY. BDO Advisory – known in the Netherlands until the autumn of 2016 as BDO Consultants – and Atos Consulting are also named as part of the advisory elite.
Strategy consulting
In the field of strategy consulting, Atos Consulting received the highest score from managers ahead of Deloitte. The consultancy branch of IT service provider Atos scores the best of both players in the top fifteen on both customer orientation and excellent execution.
Just like in the management consulting category, Deloitte is named a strong second place in strategic advice. In 2017, Monitor Deloitte, the strategy consultancy arm of the Big Four firm, conducted a large promotion round in the country of 17 consultants .
In the autumn of 2016, EY significantly expanded its strategic advisory capacity in the Netherlands through the acquisition of OC&C Strategy Consultants Benelux, which was renamed Parthenon-EY. Beyond the Benelux, this was followed by further captures of OC&C’s French and German offices. EY Advisory has subsequently managed to improve its position when it comes to strategy advice – last year it was considered eighth best, before rising up into the top three this year.
Thanks to the meteoric rise of Atos Consulting, EY and KPMG, Berenschot have fallen from the top three this year. Berenschot has surrendered a lot in the eyes of managers and ends in tenth place. Accenture, which has used an aggressive acquisition strategy in the past year, targeting a total $1.8 billion spend, has managed to use its expansion to enhance the opinions of managers regarding the firm. It rose two positions to take a spot in the top five.
The lack of traditional strategy firms among the top five is striking, however. In past years McKinsey & Company stood at the fifth (MT100 2016) and first place (MT100 2015). In a contrast of fortunes, this year the largest strategy consulting firm in the world ranked seventh in the opinions of the business community. Sixth place was taken by PwC, which serves the strategic segment with its Strategy& subsidiary, formerly Booz & Company.
The next strategy advisor is A.T. Kearney in ninth place, while The Boston Consulting Group – fourth last year – takes twelfth place. The largest European-origin strategy house, Roland Berger, ends in 14th place, while American rival Bain & Company – recently named the best employer in the Netherlands – closes out the top fifteen. Finally, Capgemini Consulting (8th), Twynstra Gudde (11th) and BDO Advisory (13th) all have a position in the listings.
