Capco buys German digital consultancy Creative Construction

Six months after acquiring a digital consultancy in the US, Capco has bolstered its European footprint with the purchase of Creative Construction, a Germany-based digital consultancy.

The private equity-backed global consulting firm, which focuses mainly on the financial services industry, has seen strong growth since it separated from IT giant FIS. Today, Capco has over 5,000 employees across 27 offices in leading financial centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, up from around 3,500 employees when it regained its independence in October 2017.

Capco has now closed its second acquisition under the wings of Clayton Dubilier & Rice, a New York based investor which owns 60% of Capco’s shares. The bolt-on of ATOM Solutions in the US was aimed at boosting the firm’s US operation, and now, the addition of Creative Construction adds a boutique team of digital transformation experts to its German roster.

Based in Berlin, Creative Construction helps corporates, including DAX and S&P 500 companies such as Bosch, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Post, Daimler, Swiss and Swiss Re, with digital strategy development and the implementation of digital endeavours focused on the customer and user experience.

Creative Construction for instance helped Swiss improve its customer experience through a number of improvements to its website and booking engine, helped Bosch better track the return on investment of its e-commerce activities, and also industrial player Grohe with the design and conception of its new website and related new offerings. 

According to Lance Levy, the global chief executive officer of Capco, the acquisition of the German consultancy aligns with two key objectives. First, it ramps up the firm’s track record in the fast growing digital transformation space: “We are acquiring in-demand capabilities in an area where we see real potential to help our clients transform at scale and drive change,” he said. 

Second, it boosts the firm’s presence in the strategically important market of Germany and the German-speaking region, which after the UK is Capco’s second largest market in Europe.

Bodo Schaefer, Managing Director of Capco’s operations in Germany, Austria and Slovakia, commented; “With Creative Construction, we are strengthening our regional team with expertise and specialist knowledge in digital strategy and customer-centric innovation.”

As part of the integration, Creative Construction co-founders Agnieszka Walorska and Alexander Braun and their team plus network will join Capco. The firm will operate as a distinct brand within Capco's consulting offering in Germany, Austria and Slovakia, and will continue to operate from Berlin.

Walorska and Braun have both joined Capco's leadership team in Germany as Executive Directors, and report to Bodo Schaefer.

In related consulting deals in Germany, TMT consulting firm Analysys Mason last month bought German consultancy Allolio & Konrad, while strategy giant McKinsey purchased Orpheus.