When it comes to business growth and long term success, sometimes it can be difficult to see the issues and challenges from within. This is where the role of a consulting firm comes into play. Typically, consulting firms are businesses comprised of industry-specific experts who offer professional advice, guidance, and actionable solutions to businesses experiencing issues they can’t deal with in-house. Every company is bound to have problems; consulting firms are contracted to solve them. Here we present 15 Australian consulting firms to watch in 2021.
Ellipsis
The customer loyalty experts, Ellipsis helps businesses thrive by solving complex customer problems.. They use a unique approach, which they call Customer Science®, to build and improve customer loyalty for their clients.
Customer Science® combines loyalty, strategy, and data insights to help their clients understand, manage and grow customer value. The highly experienced team behind Ellipsis has worked on over a hundred projects for many industries in the US, Europe, Australia, and across the Asia Pacific.
Ellipsis is on a mission to become the world’s best customer loyalty company and they are well on their way. Their unique approach bases each decision on data insights with data-driven methods and techniques,to deliver state-of-the-art services that will help clients grow customer value and optimize performance.
Their services include customer loyalty, where loyalty programs are designed and improved with proven methodologies, customer strategy, which creates customer-centric strategies, and data insights, which brings clarity and greater certainty to customer-focused decisions. They also have a powerful suite of data services, called Ellipsis 3D®, which is truly exceptional.
Exit Advisory Group
Founded by Simon Bedard, who has over 20 years of experience in the finance, investment, energy, and technology sectors, Exit Advisory Group is an Australian business broking and advisory firm. Their focus is helping entrepreneurs develop effective growth strategies to build company value and create successful exit options.
Simon notes that most business owners start their company to achieve some type of freedom -whether it’s financial, time, or the freedom to set their own rules. But along the way, very few achieve this.
Exit Advisory Group is passionate about turning this around by helping business owners build valuable companies and exit on their own terms.
“The reality is that none of us are born to ‘do business’. We’re born to live life, and our business should be a vehicle to deliver the life we want,” says Simon.
When you build for company value, you don’t just build a business that is more profitable, you are also creating a company that will be a lot more enjoyable to run. You can scale it, sell it, pass the business to the next generation, or stay on the Board and step out of the day to day.
This type of business will also reward you when it comes time to exit. It will be worth a premium if you choose to sell, but either way, it will be set up for a smooth transition to your successor.
Combining broking and advisory expertise, Exit Advisory Group works with business owners to build the value of their company, create successful exit strategies and manage business sale transactions from end-to-end. Their proven methodologies have seen their clients get the best possible outcomes and exit at the top of their game.
Bentley Consulting Pty Ltd
With a passion for helping businesses succeed by implementing strategies that see real results, Roger Kiddle and his team at Bentley Consulting are experts at giving you the confidence to take your business to the next level. Working with you we become an independent, objective sounding board for your ideas and ambitions. Someone you can talk to, who really understands the issues that can confront you.
After gaining experience in the commercial world from working in small private and large public companies as Company Accountant, Head of Accounting, Financial Controller and more, Roger realised that he wanted to use his experience to help businesses achieve growth with proper financial and business strategies. Establishing Bentley Consulting has allowed Roger to do just that, and even after 40 years, he still thoroughly enjoys seeing his clients reap the rewards from great results.
“We help our valued clients find the best path on the journey to business growth and are with them throughout to help them improve cash-flow, optimise profits and build genuine business value” Roger explains. Their close relationships with lenders sees Bentley Consulting helping facilitate the funding that small – medium businesses need, and often find so hard to get; just one of the many value adding solutions that their team can help you with.
After running and operating a successful business, Roger knows it can often be a difficult process to build real growth. That’s why they work with you at your place of business to gain a thorough understanding of how your business works. Start taking control of your success with Bentley Consulting and begin enjoying a better work/life balance, knowing your business plans, processes and finances are on the right track.
OpsCentre
Providing the best Operational Resilience solutions, OpsCentre is here to help executives have a business that’s sturdy and 100% robust. Disastrous incidents can cause irreversible damage to a company’s reputation, shareholders, board of directors, and industry regulators. Not to mention it can cause severe legal problems. That’s why, in these turbulent and unpredictable times, business continuity and resilience are an executive’s main concern.
OpsCentre has been in business for over 20 years, servicing over 155 clients and contributing to over 450 projects; they know exactly how to implement Operational Resilience solutions and provide executives with the peace of mind they’re looking for.
They help businesses plan for all kinds of unexpected incidents and disruptions so they can be prepared for anything and survive, no matter what. Pandemics, supplier failures, cyber-attacks, IT outages, floods, fires, corporate crises; the list of risks can go on and on, but with OpsCentre’s help, your business will continue to thrive in any circumstance.
OpsCentre focuses on practical and pragmatic deliverables that clients actually use. They don’t provide lengthy and unpractical documents that turn out to be useless in a disaster. While their competitors are often more focused on simply ticking a compliance box or meeting regulatory requirements, OpsCentre goes above and beyond; delivering tools that have stood the test of time to ensure Operational Resilience.
Manavale
Manavale helps organisations find and develop their future talent.
Tapping into one of the fundamental challenges for any organisation, Manavale is a trusted partner to leaders who are looking to find, attract and hire game-changing talent, providing discreet services in Search & Selection, Psychometric Assessment and Role & Structure Development.
Manavale’s method of talent development is also unique within the Human Resources Consulting Industry. Their progressive methods often use physical movement and the outdoors to improve Sales Capability, Health & Wellbeing, Team Dynamics, Creative Thinking, Decision Making and Resilience.
Founded by Mark McOnie, a talent expert with experience consulting to many Global, ASX listed and Start-up companies, Manavale has immediate pedigree to help organisations meet future demand. Mark is also Associate Partner of the global management consultancy, Humanostics, a role which offers global perspectives and data to support the development of organisational talent strategy.
WM Consulting
Innovating the consulting industry, WM Consulting is a leadership, executive coaching, and organizational development practice that applies organizational psychology and neuroscience principles to help clients create sustainable transformations.
They have a collaborative approach, which means they work with clients to provide an individualized solution to make tangible improvements through people, capability, and performance. At WM Consulting, they are experts at creating exceptional leaders and accelerating the development of individuals, teams, and organizations to help them reach their full potential.
WM Consulting’s unique strength lies in its ability to create close partnerships with its clients. They offer a wide range of consulting services that are based on the latest scientific principles and that can meet the needs of each specific organization. They are focused on creating positive directed change through a practical, innovative, and results-driven approach that makes it possible for clients to reach their goals.
The team behind WM Consulting will effectively tackle complex scenarios that result from change with their comprehensive range of consulting services. They are focused on mobilizing and transforming the culture of businesses and they specialize in developing talent, culture transformation, change management, HR, organizational development, and more, to help businesses have a successful transformation.
Specialised Property Consulting
Specialised Property Consulting is a leading property consultancy providing project management and development management services across the strategy, definition and delivery phases of the asset life cycle.
Established in 2017 with the vision to support the sustainable development of metropolitan and regional Australia, the business is building a strong presence in the market through their highly flexible, adaptable and personable approach to their business and interactions with their clients.
With projects now in Brisbane, Perth, Gosford, Toowoomba, Cairns, Dubbo, and clients such as Lendlease, QIC, St Vincent’s Private Hospitals, ARTC, and Defence Housing Australia, it proves the quality and range of services they are offering the market. Some of the services they can offer include, project management, development management, feasibility and business case, site selection and due diligence, design management, procurement, construction management and superintendency.
Their experience covers all types of projects, from Retail, Commercial, Health, Industrial, Residential, Civil and Infrastructure, and with project values ranging from $1M to $200M+, they know how to identify and manage the project risks, how to drive value into a project, ensure the best possible return on investment and how to lead and drive the delivery of the project objectives.
Coxswain Alliance
Founded in 2009, Coxswain Alliance is an operational excellence firm that provides insight, guidance, and implementation of solutions for organisations that are not meeting their stakeholder commitments. Their cross-industry experience and insights are applied with an engagement model that confers strong ownership and skills transfer.
At Coxswain Alliance, the name reflects the kind of service they provide. They will guide you through difficult changes in a measured manner, helping you take the most direct route to your goals. That’s what a coxswain does and that’s the kind of support they provide.
They work with organisations across all industries and they have a distinctive strength for working with frontline leaders, significantly lifting their capability and their connection with their people. Coxswain Alliance works on the floor, shoulder to shoulder with your people. They do this to understand the needs of your employees and your business, so as to provide the best possible solutions.
Coxswain Alliance will help your organisation welcome and own change because they are focused on the pragmatic implementation of change. They are not theoreticians; they take the time to work alongside their clients to design and test solutions to whatever operational performance problems they may have. Their strong methodology enables tailor-made, effective solutions; and the solutions deliver a strong financial return.
Salple
At Salple, they are experts at helping companies and organizations co-create and activate a Culture Code, an agile framework that allows their clients to align their employees’ efforts and behaviors to what matters most. This framework empowers employees to make the best choices that will further the objectives of the organization.
Founded in 2016, Salple has worked with clients of all kinds, from small creative/tech companies, such as Brandworks, through medium sized organizations, such as Teach for Australia, to larger organisations, such as CVGT. They offer effective services because they understand that culture, brand, and strategy are tightly interlinked and held together by the organization’s purpose.
As a company, your brand is a promise that you make to your customers, your strategy is what you will do as you pursue your purpose, and your culture determines the way your employees deliver that promise. Salple helps companies and organizations to be data-driven and use co-creation in the way they discover and design their purpose, strategy, and culture, so everyone in the company can have the opportunity to help create and execute an authentic vision for the future.
Their blended approach to culture, combining co-creation with Harrison Assessment behavioral analytics and the Salpulse culture measurement and activation software platform, will achieve strong employee buy-in and long-lasting, measurable results.
Metattude
Specializing in leadership coaching and consulting services, Metattude helps clients by providing an approach that focuses on the resolution of difficult behaviour and leadership cohort alignment. Their services are available for clients across the government and for small and large businesses as well.
Metattude was founded by David Deane-Spread, who honed his skills in the military, law enforcement, and other government services. He led and developed special operators who dealt with covert and hostile situations. Then, he decided to transfer those skills as a CEO and managing director of public and private companies in Australia and Europe.
The success of this consulting agency is based on their proprietary Strategic Success Method, which helps clients become the leading provider and employers in their industry. Improving leadership effectively and efficiently is a top-down approach that requires leaders to look in the mirror and recognize the problems caused by their leadership deficiency.
Once they do, they need to commit to achieving excellence in themselves first, which is where Metattude comes in. They are selective with the clients they choose to work with because they don’t suit a minimalist approach to leadership improvement. They are disruptive and they combine science and skill to help clients achieve the results they need by challenging themselves.
Subcinctus Consulting
Specializing in strategy and technical sustainability, Subcinctus Consulting transforms its client’s businesses through sustainability. They shift their client’s relationships and culture towards a streamlined circular business economy. They develop a strong roadmap towards reducing energy, water, resource consumption, waste, and GHG emissions in operations.
With the help of Subcinctus Consulting, business owners will leverage the economic benefits of direct cost savings to enjoy improved resilience, lower risk, market awareness, positioning, and competitive reputations. They support their clients through the challenges of adopting a new culture around sustainability to guarantee success.
The team behind Subcinctus Consulting provides valuable expertise in sustainability, and it takes clients through a journey of profound shifts to show them the economic benefits of aligned sustainable action. They work hard with clients to help them transform their businesses for the better.
The services and products provided by Subcinctus Consulting stem from authenticity and love to help clients transform their businesses and people’s lives in their communities. They go above and beyond for their clients to deliver more than expected through technical and strategic sustainability.
Nine Carat Business Consulting
For many people, success comes at the cost of their health, family, and overall quality of life. But it’s important we remember to invest in what really matters—us as people! Having a successful business doesn’t have to be a lifeless endeavor. We can be successful while still living our best life. That’s the philosophy behind Nine Carat Business Consulting and they help their clients make that vision come true.
At Nine Carat Business Consulting, they are experts at business brilliance, success, and balance without compromises. Most people believe that the only way to be successful is through the sacrifice of important things in life. But this business consulting agency is reimagining business and how to achieve success.
The team behind Nine Carat Business Consulting will help you design your success in a way that allows you to optimize your business and enrich your life at the same time. They show you it’s not necessary to slave away behind a desk and sacrifice the other things you love about life to achieve your goals.
The consulting services provided by Nine Carat Business Consulting are effective and they will help you change the way you perceive success. They are available worldwide and they don’t provide a one-size-fits-all solution; they work with each client individually and they offer diversified service possibilities. They help their clients design sustainability and quality of life, and they work with start-ups to multi-generational corporations.
Mel Thorpe Consulting
Founded by Mel Thorpe, whose specialty is building and leading cohesive and high-performing cross-functional teams, Mel Thorpe Consulting provides valuable services for companies that want successful and productive teams. Mel has overseen multi-million dollar organisational budgets and coordinated entire organisation improvement programs. She has also won awards in leadership and organisational improvement.
This has allowed her to provide high-quality and useful services through Mel Thorpe Consulting. Their wide array of services include leadership coaching, professional facilitation, strategic business planning, on-site observation and service coaching, team acceleration and improvement strategies, leadership workshops, and bespoke professional training.
Mel is a certified Scrum Master and Squadify Pro Coach, so she is more than qualified to work with teams of all sizes and she helps them become high-performing, cohesive teams who know what they are doing and find joy in it. Mel Thorpe Consulting functions under the belief that leaders are responsible for guiding people to be adaptive and agile without sacrificing clarity and long-term strategy.
Mel brings to the table a wealth of knowledge about how people learn and what motivates them, combined with an incredible ability to relate to others and outstanding business acumen. That’s what makes Mel Thorpe Consulting so valuable for all kinds of organisation that want to bring out their team’s full potential.
Aipeia Consulting
Founded by Artemis Evangelidi, Aipeia Consulting is a Conscious Business and Conscious Leadership consulting practice that provides outstanding services and valuable training programs developed in-house. Artemis started her career as a Corporate Commercial Lawyer in Melbourne, Australia, and she spent 16 years working overseas for large international companies. In 2013, she established her firm in Cyprus and expanded into Melbourne in 2021.
Aipeia Consulting is focused entirely on empowering people and helping them integrate conscious leadership into their daily lives. This allows them to live and lead consciously and with increased empathy, self-awareness, mindfulness, and purpose. Their mission is to raise global consciousness through ethical and transparent business practices, which is what the Conscious Business Transformation Programs are all about.
The unique Conscious Leadership training programs Aipeia Consulting provides were developed by Artemis and they are intended to support both individuals and organizational teams. The two key programs offered are Life: The Program – Living and Leading Consciously, which is a 16-week transformational workshop, and The Conscious Leadership Workshop, which is a 2-day interactive training program for companies, small teams, and schools.
The programs and services provided by Aipeia Consulting are specifically designed to go deep and identify what drives behaviour by understanding the conditioning and past influences that impact decision-making. This is what enables the transition into a growth mindset and an elevation in consciousness.
Notwithoutrisk Consulting
Founded by former Chief Risk Officer Peter Deans and specializing in business planning and management issues, Notwithoutrisk Consulting offers a unique range of strategy and risk advisory services aimed at banks & financial institutions, private companies, large corporations, government clients, and startups.
They take into account strategic, financial, and operational risk considerations to tackle issues effectively. Notwithoutrisk Consulting works with the 52 Risks framework to assist their clients with strategic and business planning, identify key business risks, and design and implement the most effective risk management frameworks possible.
This framework comprises a definitive list of Strategic, Financial, and Operational Risks, that should concern any business, no matter its size or industry. It also combines top-down and bottom-up analysis in a clear and easy-to-follow format. The approach that Notwithoutrisk Consulting provides is focused on practical and actionable solutions that make a big difference.
Their expertise is based on hands-on real-world experience and it ranges from strategy, business planning, and risk management, to financial analysis and modeling, business turnaround, and transformation. Notwithoutrisk Consulting also helps clients adapt their business strategies and practices to the new world of ESG. This includes an assessment of climate change risk on their businesses.
Make sure to go and follow each of these consulting firms, as they continue to thrive and make their mark on the world.
