Sia Partners opens office in Tokyo, Japan, 3rd in Asia
Management consulting firm Sia Partners has opened a new office in Tokyo, Japan, to expand its presence in Asia. The Tokyo office is the third office in Asia and will allow the firm to better support its clients while building on its links with Japanese banks. The firm will start with 5 consultants with plans to increase the headcount to 12 in the coming year and a half.
Consultancy Sia Partners has since its founding in 1999 grown strongly. The management & operational strategy consulting firm, which is headquartered in Paris, now has more than 600 consultants working from its 16 offices around the world. In 2013 and 2014, the firm significantly boosted its scale and global footprint through the acquisition of the international network of Investance, adding 60 consultants in four locations: London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong, and with the establishment of its Montreal office.
Expansion in Japan
In line with its expansion plans in Asia, the firm recently opened an office in Tokyo, Japan, which represents its third office in Asia. The expansion results from the firm’s success in growing its Asian client portfolio up to 15, with forecasted revenues in 2015 of $5 million, and the expectation to grow the number of clients even further.
The new office will allow the firm to better service its western clients as well as build better links with Japanese banks in western countries, Matthieu Courtecuisse, Founder and CEO of Sia Partners, explains. “This opening meets two demands. The first is to provide our western clients with support in the development of their regional operations as the Japanese market requires a permanent presence. The second one is to enhance the links we have already established with the biggest Japanese banks in the West. In addition, our goal is to work with 80% of global systemically important banks. Our presence in Japan is therefore essential. We have much to learn and to contribute there.”
Vincent Kasbi, Managing Partner and Head of Asian Operations, adds: “In the financial sector, Asia was slow to introduce new financial regulations, both in the banking and insurance sectors. However, Japan has made particular progress in this matter and is considered as a reference in the region. We have also noticed the dynamism of big Japanese companies in the region which has reinforced our development in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia. We start in Tokyo with a team of five consultants, both Japanese and Western. We aim to have a team of a dozen consultants within 18 months.”
