Management consultancy Alba Partners returns to Scotland

Launched by Scottish siblings in 2020, Alba Partners has finalised plans to move its global headquarters back to the country from which it takes its name. As it ramps up investment across Scotland, the firm has launched a new Edinburgh office, and aims to recruit over 20 professionals in the next two years.

Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It has also appeared throughout English language historiography to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots, united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba. It might seem obvious that a consulting firm of that name would have its global headquarters in Scotland, then – but until recently that was not the case for Alba Partners.

Founded in 2020 by Scottish siblings Richard and Carol Jacobs, the boutique consultancy initially made its home in the capital city of England. From the company’s initial London office, the firm has carved out a niche for itself aimed at a perceived “gap in the market” for Big Four quality consulting, priced for mid-market and smaller clients. In that time, it has won various projects across the city’s financial services sector – but also established a growing hub in the UAE, and extending into Saudi Arabia.

With a headcount of 35, and aims to grow that to 50 by the end of the year, however, Alba Partners has decided that the time is right to return to its spiritual home. The company will now base its global headquarters in Edinburgh, amid a series of new investments north of Hadrian’s wall.

Looking ahead, Carol Jacobs commented, “As our name suggests, Scotland has always been a major influence on Alba Partners, and we are delighted to be returning home. We now have more than 40 staff across our business, and plan to hire dozens more over the coming period as part of our expansion and headquartering in Scotland.”

Alba Partners intends to hire more than 20 consultants over the next 18 months. Among those already recruited is Graeme Jones, who arrives as chair. His previous roles include chairing Scottish business tycoon Jim McColl’s Alba Bank, holding the CEO reins at Scottish Financial Enterprise, in a role now held by Sandy Begbie, and senior posts at Experian, Aviva, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Standard Life.

Welcoming the firm back to Scotland, Jones added, “It will be a valuable and exciting addition to the professional services marketplace in Scotland, and it is a real statement of intent that they have decided to make Edinburgh their global headquarters.”

Earlier in the year, Alba Partners was nominated for Best New Consultancy at the annual MCA Awards. It now hopes to tap into what it sees as a strong local talent pool and roll out its learning programme locally, amid the “world-class” Scottish financial services and energy industries, mainly concentrated in Edinburgh and Aberdeen respectively. It also has the public sector, in its crosshairs.

Richard Jacobs concluded, “Alba Partners has already delivered results for many multi-national corporations, small businesses and public sector groups, and we are delighted to now be able to do the same for organisations in Scotland. As a boutique management consultancy, we value all our clients and offer a personal and tailored service.”