BrazilDuval Union Consulting rebrands as Scopernia
Duval Union Consulting, a Belgium and Dubai based digital consulting firm, has rebranded as Scopernia.
“While our old name fitted perfectly with what we used to do, our current approach to transformation, innovation, partnerships and purpose required a new name that better covers the load,” said Nils van Dam, chief executive officer of the consulting firm.
When co-founders Jo Caudron and Dado Van Peteghem teamed up to launch their own consultancy in 2009, they picked DearMedia as their brand. Six years later, as part of their joining of forces with marketing agency group Duval Union, the duo rebranded the company as Duval Union Consulting.
Now, the pair have rolled-out the third fresh brand in the company’s history. “Duval Union Consulting was a consulting company for the digital world. We helped our clients with their long term digital transformation, and provided them with all the necessary advice to deal with digital strategy, social media and day to day marketing challenges,” explained Caudron.
However, against a changing macro backdrop, one which is seeing less focus on profit maximisation and more on purpose, sustainability and inclusiveness, the work of Duval Union Consulting has evolved, said Van Dam, formerly the chief executive officer of Unilever in Belgium.
He said, “We are convinced that organisations need to broaden their perspective if they want to successfully transform. A few years ago, it was enough to anticipate digital disruptions. Today it is necessary to understand all major social changes in the areas of work, housing, mobility, sustainability, healthcare and living. Companies are gradually realising that a future-proof plan can only be written based on a holistic, cross-sectoral approach.”
With the Scopernia brand, the consultancy is now “completely ready” for this new era. The name is based on three elements: ‘scope’, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to investigate matters in order to determine the right project scope; ‘copernicus’, pointing at the 15th century scientist who placed the Sun rather than Earth at the center of the universe; and ‘nia’, which in Swahili means purpose and in Arabic means goal-oriented.
Van Peteghem concluded, “Scopernia embodies our new style of consulting. We help companies in building and implementing future-oriented, transformative and purpose-led strategies, for setting up a holistic approach to partnerships and eco-systems, and for accelerating companies by guiding innovation in product, service or business model.”
Scopernia has a team of around 20 consultants based in Ghent, Belgium and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The company is owned by Caudron, Van Peteghem and Van Dam (who each own a 20% stake), Duval Union (30% stake) and Chalhoub, a Dubai-based luxury group that owns a 10% stake as part of the Scopernia- Chalhoub joint venture in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in home country Belgium Scopernia is relocating to a new office in the city centre of Ghent.
