Protiviti launches Protiviti Digital, specialised digital consulting arm

Global consulting firm Protiviti has launched ‘Protiviti Digital’, the firm’s response to increasing demand from clients for digital expertise and support. Jonathan Wyatt, a London based Managing Director in Protiviti’s Technology Consulting practice, has been tasked with leading Protiviti Digital’s endeavours. 

Digital has taken off in recent years. From the rise of complete new digital players, such as Airbnb or Uber, to the wealth of opportunities incumbents leverage through digitisation – technology led-innovation is transforming sectors and businesses across the globe. 

In the face of rapid digitisation, organisations are ramping up their digital adoption, often turning to external experts to help them throughout the process. Professional services firms, including management consulting firms, play an integral role in the space, supporting their clients with grasping the potential of digital, drawing up strategic plans, designing digital blueprints and the actual implementation of initiatives. 

Digital consulting

The movement has seen digital consulting emerge as the fastest growing segment of the global consulting market, an industry estimated to be worth around $250 billion. In the UK, the technology service line grew by 10% last year to almost hit £3 billion for the first time, according to data from Source Global Research, while the DACH region for instance saw growth of 8% in the segment, taking its market size to €2.4 billion. 

In a bid to tap into the growing demand, and better serve the multi-disciplinary facets that come with digital solutions, many of the larger consulting firms have in recent years launched dedicated Digital arms. Deloitte was one of the first, unveiling its Deloitte Digital brand back in 2012, and since dozens of peers have followed suit.PwC for example operates in the field with PwC Digital, Accenture has Accenture Digital (one of its five main business arms), while also the large strategy consulting firms have embraced the proposition: McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company both have separate Digital units, while The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) opted for a more standalone approach with BCG Digital Ventures. 

Protiviti Digital

The latest consulting firm to join the bandwagon is Protiviti, with more than 70 offices in over 20 countries one of the larger players specialised in finance, risk and internal audit. The firm has decided to bundle its existing digital expertise across a range of areas, including data and analytics, technology, internal audit, business performance, risk and compliance, into a new hub named ‘Protiviti Digital’. The new arm is capable of helping clients – mainly corporates; Protiviti has served more than 60% of Fortune 1000 – with their end-to-end digital challenges, says Jim Pajakowski, an Executive Vice President at the consultancy.

“Drawing on our global consulting expertise, Protiviti tailors cross-competency teams to fit the specific strengths, needs and requirements of our clients’ digitalisation programs”, he remarks. Jonathan Wyatt, a Managing Director who has been with Protiviti since 2004, when he joined from Deloitte, and charged with leading the new arm, adds, “We help our clients at any or all stages of transformation, so they can face the demands of the digital economy with confidence.” 

Among Protiviti Digital’s key offerings are Customer Engagement; helping customers explore new ways to build relationships with customers; Digitisation; supporting the launch of digital business models or automation of processes; Decision Science; supporting the use advanced data analytics to improve decision making; and Operational Performance; collaborating with clients in using technology to improve performance. Other propositions offered by the arm include Cybersecurity, Agile, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud, IT Modernisation, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and sector specific technology solutions such as FinTech or RegTech.

Asked about how Protiviti Digital will set itself apart from the rest of the consulting crowd, Wyatt points at the firm’s co-operative approach. “We engage collaboratively with our clients to create a deep understanding of the risks and opportunities presented by new and emerging technologies and to think creatively about how they can use these technologies to improve business performance.” A commitment to delivering tangible results is at the heart of the firm’s DNA (“we help create business and operational value today and in the future”), building on among others deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach which spans all sides of the digital spectrum (people, processes and technologies) and a decade long track record.

Wyatt has over 20 years of experience in IT consulting, working with many of the largest companies in the world across a diverse range of industries, including financial services, energy and utilities, telecommunications, media and consumer products. He is one of the founding members of Protiviti’s operations in the UK (based in The Shard; London) and has for years led the IT strategy, governance and risk management practice globally. Other key leaders of Protiviti Digital are Kurt Underwood, a US based expert and global solutions leader of Protiviti’s Technology Consulting practice, and Scott Bolderson, a UK based Managing Director. Both have been with the consulting firm since 2004, although Bolderson took five years off between 2007 and 2012 to develop and run a successful pub and restaurant on the borders of Wales in Herefordshire. 

Across the firm’s footprint, Protiviti has appointed leaders that will oversee the deployment of Protiviti Digital in their respective markets, including in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. 

To support the launch of Protiviti Digital towards the market, the consultancy has in recent months produced several thought leadership publications on the topic, including the white paper ‘Catching the Digital Wave of Change’. The firm’s 2017 edition of its annual ‘Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey’ in addition dedicated considerable attention to digital, finding that internal auditing functions are ramping up their data science and analytics efforts. 

For more information about Protiviti Digital take a look at below video featuring Managing Directors Jonathan Wyatt and Scott Bolderson: