DMW Group joins forces with US consulting firm Credera
Digital consultancy DMW Group has joined forces with Credera, a US consulting firm part of the Omnicom group. The joining of forces creates a 600-strong business and technology firm.
After three decades operating independently, DMW Group has now joined forces with US-headquartered Credera. Founded 1999, Credera has around 400 partners, consultants and staff across offices in Dallas, Houston, Denver, Chicago and New York. Combined, the two consultancies employ close to 600 professionals.
Commenting on the sale of a majority stake in the firm to the Americans, DMW’s chief executive officer Chris Dean said: “The extensive global client relationships and services of Credera and the Omnicom network bring great opportunities for our people and our clients.”
While DMW Group focuses on business technology, programme delivery and data analytics, Credera has a broader consulting offering, also focused on strategy, sales & marketing, operational excellence and innovation. This will allow the UK consulting firm, which has offices in London, Manchester, and Leeds, to expand its propositions to clients.
Meanwhile, Dean also highlighted the strong cultural fit with Credera, which he describes as key to any merger in the professional services industry. “The cultural fit is surprisingly good. Credera and DMW are well matched in that we both genuinely care about achieving great outcomes for our clients with a hands-on style based on respect, integrity and professionalism.”
Justin Bell, Credera’s Chief Executive Officer and a 20-year veteran at the company company, added: “This is a people business and the only way this sort of thing could work is if you find a great group of people with a similar vision, similar values, similar talent and quality bar, and enough humility to recognise that we might actually be better together than alone.”
To ensure the cultural fit was there, the two consulting firms conducted a cultural due diligence on each other’s teams as part of the dealmaking process, and the executive teams came together to exchange ambitions and ideas on a number of occasions. Bell: “We were really impressed with Chris and then later Simon Greenhalgh, Helen Kilvington, Matthew Neale, and Marius Rubin [the other leaders of DMW]. And everyone else I’ve met with has been incredible, talented, and energetic.”
“I’m extremely confident in our ability to do great things together and make an oversized impact on our people, our clients, and the communities we live and work in.
Similarly, Dean remarked: “We have built a great deal of trust in Justin Bell, Scott Covington, Andrew Warden and all of the people we have met.”
DMW Group, which is a member of the Nextcontinent network, will continue to operate under its current brand, with the tagline ‘A Credera company’ added to its logo. The firm’s leadership team will remain in charge of the UK operation.
