Simon-Kucher & Partners Experiences Continued Growth in the US Amid Transition to New Leadership
US presence grew by 20 percent in 2019, while revenue increased by 11 percent. Globally, Mark Billige and Dr. Andreas von der Gathen have taken over as the new Co-CEOs of the global consultancy, while company revenue increased by 16 percent year-over-year to 401 million US Dollars
February 6, 2020 – In 2019, Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global marketing and strategy consultancy, grew its US presence by 20 percent to more than 250 employees. In the last year, the company also opened its seventh US office in Houston, which joins existing offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Mountain View, New York City, and San Francisco. Globally, Simon-Kucher has more than 1,400 employees and 39 offices across 25 countries.
“Simon-Kucher is forecasted to double in revenue and employees over the next five years, and the US market is expected to be a substantial driver of that growth,” said Nick Keppeler, Simon-Kucher’s Boston-based Managing Partner, USA. “While the Simon-Kucher name has been widely-recognized across Europe for many years, our reputation in the US is really gaining momentum now, which is driving tremendous growth in the number of clients and talent that are seeking us out for our expertise in top-line growth strategy.”
New Leadership
On January 1, 2020, Mark Billige and Dr. Andreas von der Gathen officially stepped into their new roles as CEOs of the global marketing and strategy consultancy. They took over from Dr. Georg Tacke, who led the company from 2009 and whose term ended at the end of 2019. Under Tacke’s leadership, revenue roughly quadrupled, and he hands over a thriving company to his successors.
Mark Billige has been at the company since 2006 and, until recently, headed the management consultancy’s UK business and London office. Billige is the first non-German CEO since the company was founded. Dr. Andreas von der Gathen is based in Bonn, Germany and has been working at Simon-Kucher for 20 years. He was responsible for the global Consumer Goods & Retail practice, one of the largest and fastest-growing practices of the company. Both Billige and von der Gathen were members of the Simon-Kucher Board before taking over as CEOs. This is the second time co-CEOs have led Simon-Kucher; from 2009 to 2016, the company was headed by Dr. Georg Tacke and Dr. Klaus Hilleke.
Successful financial year in 2019
The 2019 financial year was extremely successful for Simon-Kucher. Revenue grew by 16 percent to 401 million US Dollars (358 million euros) worldwide. Significant drivers to the impressive result in 2019 were strong business growth in the US and in the global Consumer Goods and Retail practice. Europe continued to be the company’s biggest market with a revenue share of two thirds.
“The company is currently in an excellent position. We have had an average growth rate of 18 percent over the past 35 years,” said von der Gathen. “We have been able to achieve this because our advice on how to increase revenue and profit continues to be in high demand. We are the world leader in pricing.”
Future growth: new CEOs remain true to topline focus
Billige explained, “Looking ahead, we have ambitious growth targets for the future. The potential for sustainable revenue and profit growth is almost unlimited in the digital world. We will remain true to our focus on topline topics, and we’ll also continue to expand regionally in a systematic way.”
The outlook for 2020 is optimistic, with significant revenue growth forecast. The consultancy will also significantly strengthen its manpower: In 2020 Simon-Kucher is planning to hire 500 new associates. The company currently employs more than 1,400 associates worldwide.
Increased focus on North America and Asia
The core markets of North America and Asia are central components of the consultancy’s expansion strategy. Billige will focus on corporate development in the North American market. “As the largest consulting market in the world, North America, particularly the US, offers immense growth potential for us,” he explained. The consultancy currently has eight offices in North America. “Our North American business is solid, and our offices in strategically important locations are the ideal platform for further growth. The possibilities are enormous,” added Billige.
Von der Gathen will strongly support the corporate development in Asia. “The Asian consultancy market is still comparatively young, and our revenue and profit growth topics have only recently come into focus there. In order to successfully expand our business activities in Asia, we have restructured by combining China, Japan, Singapore, and Australia into our new Asia-Pacific region to significantly strengthen the teams.”
For further information please contact:
Rachel Pope
tel.: (617) 231-4551
e-mail: rachel.pope@simon-kucher.com
Simon-Kucher & Partners, Strategy & Marketing Consultants:
Simon-Kucher & Partners is a global consulting firm with more than 1,400 professionals in 39 offices worldwide focusing on TopLine Power®. Founded in 1985, the company has more than 30 years of experience providing strategy and marketing consulting and is regarded as the world’s leading pricing advisor.
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