Consulting Acquisitions in 2021

XMachina-AI Inc. acquired 100% of Bain Public Inc.'s outstanding shares on December 31, 2021 in a deal consisting of cash and share consideration that vests over time. The acquisition brings Bain Public’s niche product-management and consulting expertise (and Montreal AI-accelerator presence) into XMachina to expand the buyer’s in‑house product capabilities and deal flow as it pursues growth and an upcoming public listing.

NTT DATA Services has agreed to acquire Chainalytics, a supply chain consulting and analytics firm, to strengthen its supply chain consulting and analytics capabilities. Chainalytics' 200+ employees will join NTT DATA's consulting business; the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close in the coming weeks.

Valcon, the Waterland-backed European consulting group, has acquired UK-based P2 Consulting to strengthen its UK practice and expand capabilities in digital transformation, data and programme delivery. P2, a London-headquartered firm of about 200 people that was backed by Lonsdale Capital Partners, will be combined with Valcon's existing UK team to broaden consulting, technology and data offerings across Financial Services, Utilities, Retail and Government clients.

Pariveda Solutions, an employee-owned technology and business consulting firm based in Dallas, has acquired Sustena Group, a New York City-based management and branding consultancy. The acquisition expands Pariveda's capabilities into B2B brand strategy and go-to-market services to better serve C-suite and private equity-backed clients.

The Planet Group, a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners, has entered into an agreement to acquire Strive Consulting, a full-service technology consulting firm headquartered in Chicago. The acquisition expands Planet's technology consulting, advisory, and staffing capabilities by adding Strive's ~400 professionals and offices across several U.S. cities.

Cornerstone Advisors, a Scottsdale-based management and technology consulting firm and portfolio company of Altamont Capital Partners, has acquired Orlando-based Next Step, Inc., a specialist professional services team serving banks and credit unions. The acquisition is an add-on to Cornerstone that expands its core banking systems, implementation and contract negotiation capabilities to better serve mid-size financial institutions.

Davies Group has acquired Sionic, a global financial-services consulting firm, from Livingbridge. Sionic — formed from Catalyst, Knadel and Sionic Advisors — generates over $65m of revenue and employs more than 300 professionals across North America, Europe and Asia; the deal expands Davies' specialist capabilities in insurance, banking and other highly regulated markets.

Sia Partners has acquired PPT Consulting, a Philadelphia-based management and IT consulting firm founded in 2003 that specializes in project management, business and process transformation, and organizational change management. The deal expands Sia Partners' US footprint—adding a Philadelphia office and 50+ consultants—and strengthens its capabilities in Healthcare/Life Sciences, Communications, Manufacturing and Chemical sectors.

ZRG Partners has acquired Brimstone Consulting Group, a Camden, Maine-based boutique strategy and leadership consulting firm. The acquisition expands ZRG's talent advisory and consulting capabilities—adding Brimstone's expertise in leadership transitions, culture change, executive coaching, and post-merger execution.

Morrow Sodali acquired Toronto-based Gryphon Advisors, a Canadian proxy solicitation and corporate governance advisory firm, and announced a strategic partnership with Global Governance Advisors to bolster executive compensation and governance services. Gryphon’s team joined Morrow Sodali and will operate under the Morrow Sodali brand beginning January 1, 2022, strengthening the firm’s Canadian footprint and governance/ESG advisory capabilities.

Softek has acquired Elinphant, a specialist compliance consulting firm founded by Elin Cherry, to expand its Compliance Services offering. Elin Cherry will join Softek's Executive Committee and take global responsibility for the combined firm's Compliance Services business, broadening Softek's capabilities for financial services clients.

Blue Point Capital Partners has made a platform (growth) investment in Stax, a data- and analytics-driven strategy consulting firm, to accelerate the firm’s growth, expand offerings and geographies, and support talent recruitment. Stax, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Boston with 200+ employees, will work with Blue Point to enhance its Data & Digital, Human Capital, and M&A Execution capabilities.

Kaufman, Hall & Associates (Kaufman Hall) has acquired Healthcare Real Estate Capital, LLC (HRE Capital), a boutique advisory firm focused on healthcare and higher education real estate capital markets. The acquisition integrates HRE Capital’s transaction execution capabilities into Kaufman Hall’s broader healthcare and higher education consulting and capital markets platform to expand real-estate advisory services for institutional clients.

Baretz+Brunelle has merged Berardi Consulting LLC into its firm, with founder Jeff Berardi joining Baretz+Brunelle as a partner. The acquisition adds legal-industry marketing and business development advisory capabilities to Baretz+Brunelle’s NewLaw practice and expands its advisory services offering to Am Law and other legal-sector clients.

Accenture has acquired Xoomworks Group, a London-based consulting and technology firm specializing in procurement transformation and bespoke software development. The acquisition brings Xoomworks' team of more than 250 professionals across multiple European countries into Accenture to strengthen its procurement, digital transformation and Closed Loop Spend Management capabilities.

Minneapolis-based private equity firm ShoreView Capital Partners has completed an investment to recapitalize 8020 Consulting, a Southern California financial consulting firm. ShoreView partnered with 8020's management to support growth, backing a strategy that includes pursuing add-on acquisitions and geographic expansion.

Bates Group, a U.S. financial services consulting firm, has acquired CorCom LLC, an AML/financial-crimes compliance consultancy based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The acquisition brings CorCom’s certified AML team and capabilities into Bates to expand its AML, BSA/OFAC, licensing and training offerings for banks, fintechs, cryptocurrency firms and MSBs.

The Firefly Group made a majority investment in Sales Xceleration, a provider of fractional sales leadership and outsourced VP of Sales services serving small- and mid-size businesses. Concentric Investment Partners and New Canaan Funding provided financing for the transaction; founders Mark Thacker and Chad Meyer remain significant owners and will stay active in the company.

OutSolve, an affirmative action and HR compliance firm based in Metairie, Louisiana, has acquired The HR Consultant, a Dallas-based affirmative action practice founded by Terri Swain. The acquisition expands OutSolve's compliance and DEI service capabilities and continues its roll-up strategy to scale solutions for federal contractors and corporate clients.

Bridges Fund Management’s Sustainable Growth Funds has made a growth investment in Talking Talent, a UK-based leadership coaching and DEI consultancy. The capital will support Talking Talent’s international expansion and development of its digital platform and consulting capabilities to help organisations improve inclusion, retention and career progression for under-represented employees.

Ryan, a global tax services and software provider, has acquired Mentor Works, a Guelph, Ontario-based government funding and grants advisory firm. As part of the acquisition 27 Mentor Works team members will join Ryan and founder Bernadeen McLeod will assume a leadership role within Ryan's government grants practice, strengthening Ryan's capabilities in Canada.

Sia Partners, an international management and AI consulting firm, has acquired Summus Group, a U.S.-based management consulting firm specializing in business and technology transformation for the financial industry. The deal adds ~80 consultants and strengthens Sia Partners' East Coast presence—notably Charlotte and Atlanta—while expanding its fintech and banking capabilities in the U.S.

Advancea, LLC has acquired The Moery Company, an Alexandria-based consultancy and growth marketing firm serving member-based associations. The deal combines Advancea's technology, affinity programs and consulting capabilities with Moery's sales and consulting services to expand offerings for associations and accelerate growth, with The Moery Company's staff remaining on board.

MML Capital Partners has made a growth investment in Zanders, a Netherlands‑founded treasury and risk consulting firm, partnering with the existing management team to accelerate international expansion and scale Zanders’ cloud-based Zanders Inside platform. Zanders has grown to more than 200 employees with over 750 customers across multinational corporates, financial institutions and the public sector; the transaction remains subject to regulatory approval.

Gyrus Capital-backed DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) has acquired Sofies Group, a global sustainability project management and consulting firm. The acquisition adds Sofies’ sustainability IP, methodologies and consulting team to DSS as an add-on to expand DSS’s ESG and sustainability capabilities across public and private clients.

STRAT7, the London-headquartered customer analytics and insights group, has acquired Incite, a strategic insight consultancy formerly part of Kin + Carta plc. Incite — with offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Chicago and a client roster of blue-chip enterprises — will join STRAT7's global group to expand its strategic insight and consulting capabilities and extend its geographic footprint.

Salary.com has acquired Turetsky Consulting, bringing David Turetsky and his team into Salary.com's Consulting Services Group to deepen the company's people analytics and talent intelligence capabilities. The move integrates Turetsky's expertise in compensation, job analysis, and people analytics into Salary.com's AI-powered compensation and talent intelligence offerings.

Sia Partners has acquired Ethier, a Calgary-based management consulting firm founded in 1982 focusing on regulatory compliance, risk management, operations excellence and digital transformation. The deal brings Ethier's C$10m revenue and 50+ consultants into Sia Partners, strengthening Sia's presence in Western Canada (Calgary and new Vancouver office) and expanding its Canadian capabilities.

Gateway Proven Strategies (GPS.Global), a Denver-based cannabis strategy and consulting firm, has acquired the Global Cannabis Network Collective (GCNC), bringing GCNC co-founders Chris Day and Jillian Reddish into ownership and executive roles at GPS. The deal integrates GCNC's C-suite cannabis membership network into GPS to expand GPS's global market advisory capabilities and support the development of international cannabis trade.

Customer Value Partners (CVP), a Fairfax-based business and technology consulting firm, acquired Atlas Research, a Washington, D.C.-based health-focused research and consulting firm. The acquisition adds over 170 professionals and expands CVP's capabilities in research, evaluation, human capital, and federal health contract vehicles (including VHA IHT IDIQ and several HHS/FDA BPAs).

EAB, the education research and services provider, has acquired Seramount — a leading diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) consulting and membership organization — from Bonnier Corp. The acquisition brings Seramount's membership, consulting, events and publications (including WorkingMother.com) into EAB to expand its capabilities in DE&I and strengthen connections between education institutions and employers.

ThreeBridge Solutions and boutique consulting firm Keyot have merged under the ThreeBridge brand to combine ThreeBridge’s IT consulting scale with Keyot’s project delivery and workforce transformation capabilities. The deal brings Keyot’s management consulting expertise into ThreeBridge’s national practice (ThreeBridge reported 1,000+ consultants), expanding service offerings across business transformation, project-to-product and compliance remediation.

Secretariat has acquired international arbitration and dispute advisory firm Versant Partners, enhancing its damages and valuations capabilities and expanding its global arbitration practice. The deal brings Versant's specialist team into Secretariat's global expert services and litigation consulting platform.

New Mountain Capital has made a strategic investment in Bounteous, a Chicago-based digital experience consultancy, acquiring the company from Mountaingate Capital. The partnership will support investments in talent, new service offerings, and Bounteous' Co-Innovation methods while the existing management team remains in place.

JJELLYFISH, a US-based tech-enabled go-to-market services firm, acquired New York City–based sales consultancy The Clean Sell on August 1, 2021. The acquisition expands JJELLYFISH's productized GTM offerings by integrating TCS's sales consulting expertise, executive talent, and training platform to better support B2B startups and enterprise customers entering the U.S. market.

RLH Equity Partners has made a growth investment in Keystone Strategy LLC, a strategy, economics, and technology consulting firm that advises large enterprises, law firms and government agencies. The capital will support Keystone’s continued growth and expansion of its interdisciplinary capabilities across data architecture, AI, platform strategy and antitrust/economic advisory services.

Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire HRC Retail Advisory, a retail-focused strategy consultancy whose team of more than 30 people across North America will join Accenture's Retail Strategy group. The deal, which expands Accenture's retail strategy, analytics and performance-improvement capabilities, is subject to customary closing conditions; financial terms were not disclosed.

Renovus Capital Partners, a Philadelphia-area private equity firm, has acquired LeapPoint, LLC, a Reston-based digital consulting firm specializing in connecting work, technology, and talent. Renovus said it will partner with LeapPoint's leadership to scale the business and expand its services (including Adobe and Workfront implementations) into a larger set of enterprise clients.

Accenture has acquired Workforce Insight, a Denver-based workforce optimization consultancy with nearly 300 professionals. The acquisition strengthens Accenture's Workforce Management practice by adding Workforce Insight’s expertise in UKG, Workforce Software and Workday implementations across healthcare, manufacturing, retail and the public sector; financial terms were not disclosed.

Hastings Equity Partners announced a platform investment in Celerity Consulting Group, a San Francisco–based information management and utility consulting firm. Hastings will partner with Celerity's existing leadership team to support growth—both organic and via add-ons—to expand the firm's capabilities serving utilities, government, law firms, and corporations.

Accenture has completed its acquisition of Nell'Armonia, a Paris-headquartered consulting and technology firm specializing in enterprise performance management (EPM) solutions. The deal brings more than 135 EPM specialists and complements Accenture’s finance, analytics and cloud capabilities to better support clients’ finance and enterprise planning needs.

Rimkus Consulting Group, a global forensic engineering and technical consulting firm, acquired Blackstone Consulting LLC, a New York-based provider of property condition, environmental due diligence, structural and seismic risk, and construction consulting services. The deal expands Rimkus' U.S. capabilities in property condition and environmental assessments and strengthens its seismic risk and construction consulting practice.

ZRG Partners has acquired Walking the Talk, a specialist culture transformation and advisory firm, to expand ZRG’s consulting and talent solutions capabilities and integrate Walking the Talk’s intellectual property into ZRG’s Zi platform. ZRG, a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners, will use the acquisition to bring culture measurement and advisory capabilities into its hiring and talent products to better serve executive teams and boards globally.

Pickering Energy Partners (PEP) has merged with Heikkinen Energy Advisors to form PEP Insights, combining both firms' energy-focused investment advisory and consulting capabilities. The transaction expands PEP's traditional energy expertise and strengthens its capabilities in energy transition and renewable-focused advisory services.

Secretariat has acquired Washington, D.C.-based Economists Incorporated to create a new Economic Analysis, Analytics & Strategy practice, bringing more than 50 economists into the firm. The acquisition expands Secretariat's litigation consulting capabilities and adds offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Tallahassee while supporting growth in U.S. and international arbitration and litigation markets.

Gyrus Capital-backed DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) has acquired KKS Advisors, a global ESG and sustainability consulting firm, effective June 30, 2021. The acquisition brings KKS's ESG IP, methodologies and senior team into DSS, expanding DSS's sustainability, strategy and ESG advisory capabilities and creating a more integrated operations-to-sustainability offering.

Accenture acquired Bionic, a New York–based growth and innovation consultancy known for its proprietary GrowthOS platform, to bolster Accenture Interactive's Growth and Business Design practice. Financial terms were not disclosed; Bionic's team of roughly 40 entrepreneurs and designers will join Accenture to expand its experience-led growth capabilities.

Ocean Tomo, in partnership with Bow River Capital, has acquired Virginia-based financial forensics firm Veris Consulting to expand its litigation consulting, financial forensics, and expert witness capabilities. The deal brings Veris’ team into Ocean Tomo’s IP and intangible-asset advisory platform, creating a combined firm of more than eighty professionals and broadening services for law firms, corporations, and government clients.

Charlotte-based private equity firm Falfurrias Capital Partners made a majority capital investment to support a partnership between Hamilton Place Strategies, Flag Media Analytics and Ballast Research. The deal brings together public affairs consulting, media-monitoring analytics and policymaker research to create an integrated stakeholder solutions offering while each firm continues to operate under its brand.

ELYON International, a Vancouver, Washington-based management consulting firm, has acquired Azimuth Group LLC, a Redmond, Washington-based management and IT consulting firm founded in 2016. The deal expands ELYON's management consulting capabilities and key accounts across the U.S.; Azimuth's founder Raul Ramos will assume the role of CEO of ELYON International.