BrazilRoland Berger beefs up in US with Enovation Partners
Roland Berger has expanded its footprint in North America with the acquisition of Enovation Partners, a consulting specialised in energy, oil & gas and utilities.
Founded by professionals from leading consulting firms and energy companies, led by Daniel Gabaldon and Bob Zabors, Enovation Partners is a consulting firm dedicated to the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm provides its clients with expertise in strategy, new business models, renewable energy, energy storage, decarbonation of natural gas, energy storage, distributed energy, mergers & acquisitions and the transition to a sustainable energy future.
The co-founders met during their overlapping spell at Bridge Strategy, a boutique consultancy firm Zabors founded. Gabaldon then went on to work for Booz & Company (now Strategy& – earlier in his career he also served legal predecessor Booz Allen Hamilton) and Boston Consulting Group, after which they joined forces in 2013 to embark on their entrepreneurial adventure.
Over the past six years, Gabaldon and Zabors have grown Enovation Partners into one of the US’ more respectable energy consultancies. Testimony to its growing track record, Earlier this year, the specialist consultancy was named one of the country’s ‘best management consulting firms’ in a survey by Forbes and Statista which assessed company reputation and client perception.
The joining of forces with Roland Berger – a German-origin management consulting firm that ranks as one of Europe’s most prestigious home-grown players in the strategy & operations segment –allows the firm to expand the impact it can make, said Zabors. “Joining Roland Berger enables us to deliver exceptional insight and impact on a global scale.” The move will also enable the US consulting firm to expand its footprint into other energy-intensive sectors, including transportation, manufacturing, chemicals and private equity.
Two decades in the US
For Roland Berger, the bolt-on adds an experienced team of 20 consultants to its North American ranks, and significantly bolsters its Energy & Utilities competency practice. The firm landed in the US in 1998, when it opened its first office in Detroit. In 2008 an office was opened in Chicago, and four years later a third hub was established in Boston. Up north, the firm further has a locale in Montreal, which opened in 2012, at the time becoming the firm’s 50th office globally.
“I am delighted to welcome the Enovation Partners team to Roland Berger. This is a natural fit for us as the Enovation Partners team shares our entrepreneurial spirit and emphasis on client service excellence,” said Rob Henske, Roland Berger lead partner in the US. Torsten Henzelmann, who leads the firm’s Energy & Utilities wing, added; “We look forward to leveraging their cutting-edge analytic capabilities and extensive experience in strategic and operational issues to serve our energy and energy-intensive clients globally.”
The integration sees co-founder Bob Zabors join Roland Berger’s Chicago office as a Partner, while leaders Bill Kemp and Mike Granowski have been appointed as Directors in the office. Daniel Gabaldon has become a partner in the firm’s Boston office.
The deal is one of Roland Berger’s first in a while, with the firm opting to pursue an organic growth strategy in recent years. According to data from Consultancy.org, its last major transaction was that of German restructuring advisory FMC Consultants, which closed in the summer of 2015.
