4C Associates launches life sciences consulting practice
European procurement and supply chain consultancy 4C Associates has launched a life sciences practice, becoming the firm’s seventh dedicated industry vertical.
With around 100 consultants and staff, 4C Associates is one of Europe’s larger consultancies dedicated to procurement and supply chain transformation. The London-headquartered consultancy supports its clients with procurement intelligence, cost reductions, optimising their supply chain and logistics, and performance improvement in operations.
Having been in business for over two decades, 4C Associates has established an industry presence in six key verticals – consumer goods, retail, financial services, energy, private equity and public sector – with life sciences now added to the mix. “We are delighted to be expanding our services into the pharma and life sciences sector,” said Simon Terry, CEO at 4C Associates.
The move comes at a time when pharmaceutical companies are seeking to gain improved control over their cost base, and build in more flexibility into their supply chains. Meanwhile, external spend is significant in size in the industry, providing opportunities for companies to optimise their spend across the value chain, from sourcing and contracting through to supplier management.
To lead the new practice, 4C Associates has hired Nick Muir from Deloitte, where he led the firm’s UK and EMEA procurement consulting business and held prior leadership roles including Global Operations Transformation Consulting Leader for Life Sciences. “I’m absolutely delighted to have been asked by 4C to launch and lead a dedicated life sciences business,” said Muir on his new challenge.
“Nick brings a wide range of operations and procurement experience to 4C Associates at a time of strong growth, and I’m delighted to welcome him to the team”, said Simon Terry, CEO at 4C Associates.
Appointed a partner, Muir will also join the senior leadership team of 4C Associates which further consists of Jeremy Smith, Steve Harrison, Chris Herbert, Andrew Davidson, Rohit Moudgil, Mark Ellis, Allison Ford-Langstaff, Gavin Bowen-Ashwin and Jamie Loder.
During his tenure at Deloitte, Muir started in the firm’s Operations practice, advising private equity firms on cost related topics, supported governments with major outsourcing efforts, and working on procurement transformations at consumer businesses and financial services organisations. He spent the last ten years in the Life Sciences sector advising clients such as Novartis, GSK, AstraZeneca, Takeda, Roche and Astellas on their operational challenges.
