Australian operations consultancy Pollen launches in the UK
Australian specialist consultancy Pollen Consulting Group has launched a new office in the UK, as it looks to help the nation’s FMCG sector get “back on track.”
Since launching in 2016, Pollen has gone from strength to strength, becoming an established player in Australia’s US$5 billion consulting industry. The consultancy has as its mission to help raise the bar in the FMCG sector, working with clients on value chain transformations and bottom-line performance improvements.
Now, as the firm looks to build on its first five years of success, Pollen has announced it will be launching a new wing in the UK. The news represents something of a homecoming for Founder and CEO Paul Eastwood, who relocated to Australia from the UK nine years ago, becoming a Director with his former employer Coriolis in the firm’s Sydney office.
According to him, the UK consultancy market is stagnant and saturated with niche providers, something which Pollen sees the need to change in a crucial period for the nation’s economy.
Speaking on the timing of Pollen’s expansion back to the UK, Eastwood told the press, “We have been working on our global growth strategy for the last 12 months, during that time the world has changed and it’s time for consultancy to change as well. The UK has had it tough and we want to be part of getting things back on track.”
Pollen looks to drive bottom-line performance among its clients by creating value through end-to-end supply chain transformation. The company offers a range of experience and a team of experts spanning across FMCG, pharma, manufacturing and industrial, retail and commercial, distribution and logistics and quick service retail – and with the UK’s retail segment currently floundering amid the pressures of Brexit, the pandemic and a deep recession, there will likely be a keen demand for that skill set in particular.
Pollen has already set about recruiting a strong leadership team, with the appointments of Derek Cunningham as Managing Director, and Sophia Pizzey as Growth & Engagement Lead. The pair start immediately, while additional team members which will be announced over the next quarter.
Their first target will be to attract top talent, as Pollen looks to grow, and meet demand in its new market – having already landed a first FMCG project in Britain.
Cunningham has 15 years’ experience in the UK management consultancy sector and is renowned as the go to person for complex supply chain problems. A former Project Manager with Libra Europe Consulting, he spent the last 12 years with Acumen, where he delivered a variety of projects across a range of industries, and was latterly a Director.
Speaking on his new challenge, Eastwood stated, “Our clients partner with us to provide incremental horsepower, industry insights, expertise and intellect when required to solve their biggest issues: whether they need to develop to support growth, they may have an opportunity but are being held back by current operations or even finding a challenge and need to review and rationalise a business to adapt.”
Pizzey meanwhile arrives at Pollen UK having relocated from the firm’s Sydney head office – bringing her experience working closely with the ANZ team. Over the last 12 years of her career, Pizzey has worked in sales, marketing and PR before relocating from the UK to join Pollen in 2018 as the firm’s Growth and Engagement Lead.
Commenting on Pollen’s UK launch, Pizzey said, “I can’t wait to bring the culture, values and capabilities that we are known so well for in ANZ and replicate in the UK. Pollen are a different breed of consultants; they are honest and straight talking, who work as an extension of our team. I have no idea how they attract such highly talented people. They are independent, efficient and get things moving – most importantly, they love problem solving and having fun along the way!”
