Catalyst Development expands City of London headquarters

With demand for specialist services in asset and wealth management booming in the City of London, Catalyst Development has combined its two offices in the nation’s capital into a single head office in the financial district. The news follows a period of ambitious expansion for the consultancy, following investment from private equity investor Livingbridge.

Financial-services-focused consulting firm Catalyst Development works primarily to provide regulatory-driven change, organisational improvement and talent development programmes for global financial markets firms. Since its foundation in 1994, Catalyst has worked with more than 70 clients in over 30 financial centres worldwide, including nine out of the world’s top 12 investment banks, and has mentored more than 250 of the most senior figures in financial markets.

Financial service advisory is a hugely lucrative business at present. In 2016 alone, global banks spent about $30 billion on consultancy fees, up from $17 billion in 2008. This has provided Catalyst Development with an excellent opportunity to continue its expansion over the following years, and 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.

Since then, the firm has been working diligently to put that funding to good use. This has seen acquisitions including the purchase of management consultancy Knadel, a spree of hirings which tripled Catalyst's headcount, and the expansion of the firm’s offshore presence on the channel island of Jersey. Now, Catalyst has moved to extend that sustained period of growth into 2019, with the launch of a new head office in London.

The new headquarters sees the firm move from bases on Fleet Street and Coleman Street to 111 Old Broad Street, right at the heart of the City of London, a prime location for a financial services consultancy. This will bring over 100 banking, financial markets infrastructure, learning and development experts and asset and wealth experts together in a single location, when the move completes in mid-February. At over 7,000 square feet, it more than doubles the teams’ previous combined footprints.

Commenting on the news, Catalyst CEO Andrew Middleton said, “Client demand for our specialist services in risk, regulation, operational, business and talent development, asset and wealth management is fuelling growth… Moving to Old Broad Street brings our firm together in a fantastic location from which to service clients, attend and host key meetings and events, including our expert thought leaders series. It provides a hub where colleagues can collaborate across countries and specialisms to develop new ideas... 2019 marks Catalyst’s silver anniversary and it is exciting to celebrate 25 years of client service. This a great new home.”