PARIS: Last year the French strategy and management consulting market enjoyed its best 12 months since the outbreak of the global financial crisis. For the fourth consecutive year growth was booked, up 8.5% in 2016, lifted by a recovering economy and a strong demand for digital transformation projects. The French consulting sector is currently enjoying its strongest performance in a decade, with growth of 8.5% in 2016 to a total value of €5.9 billion, according to data from Consult’in France. The French association for management consulting firms, France’s equivalent of the British consulting sector’s representative body – the MCA – looked at the financial records of leading management consulting firms to compile its data, gathering statistics from both members as well as non-members.
The present rate of growth in the French consulting sector is higher than that of the UK or Germany, the two economies larger than France within the EU. The recent 8.5% boost to the consulting industry in France builds on 6.3% growth in 2015, and 2.9% growth in 2014. In line with a global economic trend, which the broader European consulting market also experienced, the French segment did experience negative growth earlier in the present decade, however France has booked positive growth in consulting every year since. Approximately 39% of revenues of the French consulting firms studied was generated abroad. This level was consistent with the share the year previous, as French originating consultancies with large international activities including Atos Consutling, Ayming, Capgemini Consulting, Wavestone (formerly Solucom) and Sia Partners, continue to perform well.
