Consulting Q&ACategory: Consulting Market & TrendsWhat are the main Network based Consulting firms ?
Silvia MoserSilvia Moser asked 2 years ago

1 Answers
Hélène LaffitteHélène Laffitte answered 2 years ago

Network-based consulting firms are the ones that aggregate independent consultants under a brand umbrella. They can be regarded as one of the key figures when it comes to the world of network-based consulting. Here are some of the top players in this category:
i) Eden McCallum: This company is currently the global leader when it comes to network-based consulting. It was founded in the year 2000 and has offices in Amsterdam, London, and Zurich. At present, it serves more than 500 clients globally and has more than 2300 independent consultants.
ii) IMCN: The Independent Management Consultancies Network (IMCN) was formed way back in 1994 in Brussels, Belgium. It has a membership network of more than 200 management consultants and solid international consulting experience in over 30 countries. Moreover, they are capable of communicating in over 12 languages. The IMCN members are situated across Europe: Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Russia.
iii) Odgers Connect: This consulting network firm connects independent consultants with leading commercial, non-profit, and public organizations. This network-based consulting company is composed entirely of senior consultants with experience of working with the best consulting firms in the world.
iv) Cordence Worldwide: It is a global network of truly connected consultancy firms that can think and deliver the goods together. Firms having similar values and varied specialist experience from all over the world come together to work as a team to achieve common goals such as creating innovative solutions with a competitive advantage.
v) Business Talent Group (BTG): The Business Talent Group (BTG) was established in 2007 with the sole purpose of bringing the best on-demand talent to the essential projects to enhance business performance. Back then, it was pioneering the independent consulting market until Heidrick & Struggles, a Chicago-based HR high-level headhunting firm acquired it in 2021. Heidrick & Struggles, which was formed way back in 1953, has acquired BTG so that it could expand the talent pool for freelance consultants and provide top-notch consulting services all over the world. More and more consultants are opting for the independent route as this offers them more flexibility and gives them the opportunity to select their projects. Also, they receive a higher take-home pay than the big consulting firms.
vi) ICON: The International Consulting Network is another network-based consulting firm that is run by students on a global and non-profit scale. The motive is to bridge interdisciplinary students to companies in various fields of industries and across many countries. At present, the ICON is spread across 10 countries with more than 100+ clients and approximately 150 consultants.
In hindsight, it is to be noted that such networks were the first form of disruption in the world of consulting as they gave consultants access to new businesses, bigger accounts, and helped them spread their wings beyond national waters. Furthermore, new marketplaces are now challenging the networks with stiff competition, and some of them have become fully-fledged and established marketplaces. One such example is the Internal Consulting Group (ICG), which is striving to bring global consulting into the 21st century. Their platform has an amalgamation of professional consultants, clients, and thought leaders.
Lastly, Conavigo is an excellent search engine for consulting services. You can use this application to locate the type of firm you are looking for.