Blythe Barber joins Catalyst Development as Commercial Partner

Catalyst Development has continued its UK headcount growth with the appointment of Blythe Barber. The former JWG and Capco employee becomes the firm’s new Senior Commercial Partner, as the organisation looks to grow its specialist offerings in the UK and abroad.

Fast-growing financial services consultancy Catalyst Development enjoyed a record year in 2017, tripling the firm’s headcount in its London office to 100 employees. Between April 2017 and March 2018, Catalyst substantially grew its investment base, services, markets, clients, staff and profitability, as well as beginning to supplement its growth with an ambitious M&A strategy. In Autumn 2017, this saw the financial services consultancy secure a growth investment, in the form of a management buy-out backed by private equity investor Livingbridge.

Now as the firm prepares for further growth in 2018, Catalyst has hired Blythe Barber as a Senior Commercial Partner. In the role, Barber will spearhead new business development, with a remit covering all aspects of Catalyst’s specialist service offerings in business, technology, regulation, operations and talent development, both in the UK and overseas.

Barber, who arrives from his most recent role as Managing Director of the JWG Group, is a well-known industry figure with a track record working closely with the top 30 global banks over a career spanning 15 years. He also brings expertise from previous senior positions within Expand Research (a subsidiary of the Boston Consulting Group), financial services consulting firm Capco, where he spent a year as a Managing Principal, and Schneider Trading Associates.

Matt Parkinson, Chief Commercial Officer said of the appointment, “Blythe joins us at a time of growth at pace across all aspects of our business. I particularly value the fact that he is highly regarded across our industry for his pragmatic approach to supporting clients and brings a significant depth of strong client relationships and in-sector knowledge.”

Blythe Barber himself added, “Catalyst has a total commitment to clients, combined with an incredibly talented, expert team and longstanding trusted relationships. Building on its recent investment and already rapidly expanding reach, it can now offer specialists at significant scale to execute against some of the biggest challenges faced by some of the world’s biggest firms. I am really looking forward to working with my new colleagues to help more new clients benefit from Catalyst’s unique ability to accelerate business, operational, technology and human performance.”