Consultancy training firm Elevation Learning has invited all management consultants to a two-day “summer training camp” at Latimer Place in Buckinghamshire on July 17 and 18.

The idea is for consultants to get a chance to learn new skills and broaden their horizons. A number of consultancy experts and gurus will be present at the event to share new insights on methods of engaging one’s clients and boosting sales and profits.

The notion of a consultants' summer camp was conceived by Calvert Markham, management consultancy veteran, author and managing director at Elevation Learning. He says:

"Consultants are a talented and maverick bunch, who tend to respond well to a creative approach to training rather than formal 'classroom' style, and our event reflects that with tai chi, qi gong and opportunities to network and recharge built into the two days. Delegates then create their own tailored agenda to suit their individual needs, by selecting subjects from 3 streams -- Growing Sales, Consulting Skills Refresh and Consulting Labs. I guarantee they will take away a range of innovative tools and techniques that they will be able to apply to tricky client situations straight away."

IT consulting firm and India’s biggest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been named as one of the top 100 companies chosen by The Sunday Times for the list of "Companies that Count in 2008" for helping people globally through various corporate responsibility programs. 

TCS is a global leader in information technology consulting, services, business process outsourcing and engineering services, says the report. The company has reshaped the IT services industry when it introduced the “Global Network Delivery Model” and perfected a unique method of global deployment and delivery for high quality products and services in IT consulting and business process outsourcing.

Consulting and accounting giant Accenture is at the top of the list, followed by the British Airport Authority (BAA) in the second.

Last year, Tata Consultancy Services took the top position among the “Top 10 Best Performing IT Services Providers” on the Global Services 100 list.

Today the global commercial officers of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. launched Booz & Company, a premier global management consulting firm for businesses, government ministries and other organizations.

London-based Shumeet Banerji, formerly President of the firm’s global commercial business, has been elected Chief Executive Officer of Booz & Company, and Joe Saddi, based in the Middle East, will serve as Chairman of the new organization’s 16 member Board of Directors.

Today’s launch follows the recent announcement of a strategic investment by The Carlyle Group to buy out the global commercial officers’ majority interest in Booz Allen’s U.S. government business. This will result in the legal separation of the U.S. government and the global commercial firms.

Booz & Company is currently a subsidiary of Booz Allen Hamilton and will become a legally independent firm upon completion of the strategic realignment. The transaction is expected to close in mid-late 2008, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Booz & Company starts with sustained double-digit growth, a superb client list and an enviable, debt free, balance sheet. It will be solely owned by its officers and will have more than 3,300 professionals in 57 offices around the world. The worldwide reach of its business is shown by its truly global management team and the fact that the majority of its 200 officers are based outside the US.

"The launch of Booz & Company is a significant milestone for our firm,” said Mr. Banerji, who has 15 years experience at the firm serving clients in both the private and public sectors. “Our purpose is to serve the senior agenda of the world’s leading institutions, public and private. We will be recognized for the relevance of our ideas, the practical impact of our contributions, the collaborative spirit of our people, and the intrinsically global nature of our firm. Our singular goal is to assist our clients in creating and delivering essential advantage around the globe.”

"This is an exciting time to be part of one of the leading management consulting firms in the world,” said Mr. Saddi, who has over 20 years of strategic consulting experience. “We have a clear ambition for the firm and are focused on delivering real impact for our clients.”

The launch of Booz & Company reinvigorates the firm’s strategic focus while drawing on its storied history of leadership and innovation in management consulting, that began in 1914 when its founder Edwin Booz started the management consulting profession.

Since that time it has introduced some of the most significant and celebrated advances in business management including: the product life cycle model, supply chain management concept, organizational DNA and market driving capabilities.

This leadership in ideas continues with Booz & Company’s signature research, such as its annual CEO Succession Study and annual Global Innovation 1000 study.

Some of the topics covered in this month's issue of Consulting Times include:  

• Candidate activity reaches a three year high in management consultancy industry
  
• Accenture reports strong results in second quarter 
• Ernst & Young makes it to the top five in the Best Companies to Work For Awards
• Abeam Consulting's UK managing director Alastair Clifford-Jones talks to Consulting Times columnist Mick James  
• Boston Consulting Group's senior partner George Stalk identifies key executive strategies 
• Management Futures study: 17 possible scenarios for organisations in the consultancy sector in 2018
• KPGM executives talk about the opportunities the firm sees ahead 

 Read the articles and interviews at www.consulting-times.com. 

The management consulting job portal Top-Consultant has announced a series of virtual career fairs starting June 20th, 2008. Further events are planned for November and beyond, depending on the feedback from exhibitors.

28 recruiting organisations have already committed to exhibiting and a total of 45 organisations are expected to make an appearance at the Virtual Careers Fair. The booking deadline for exhibitors is May 31.

Other than being easier to attend for a larger number of IT and management consultants, virtual career fairs have  another significant advantage. Top-Consultant's Founding Director Tony Restell says:

“A major factor in the decision to launch a virtual offering was the desire to make it easier for consultants to attend our fairs. Logging into a virtual fair for an hour is much less intrusive than having to take a day off to attend an event in person. Going virtual also addresses one of the biggest concerns that candidates have about attending a physical fair – that they’ll be spotted at the fair by their current employer.”

To make sure only qualified candidates get access to potential employers at the career event, Top-Consultant will give priority to the consultants who are registered on the job portal’s CV database. You can register your CV in the Get Headhunted section. The Virtual Careers Fair will also offer an additional advantage to the recruiters: the candidates who are granted access to the event will be pre-screened.

“From the employer side a virtual event means that a stand can be manned by staff from across the world and that opportunities in a variety of office locations can be discussed with the appropriate member of staff. This considerably increases the likelihood of successful hires being made. An international presence on a firm’s stand can be achieved without the need for any costly travel, loss of billable time or carbon offsetting expense. Setup time per exhibitor is also minimal and the cost of participating is a fraction of that needed to exhibit at a physical careers fair,” says Restell.

Recruiters who are interested in participating or learning about other benefits of the Virtual Career Fair are welcome to contact the Top-Consultant team on +44 (0)207 667 6880 and request the brochure.

Top-Consultant's 'physical' Careers Fair takes place in London every year in October.

The global business consultancy Bain & Company has announced the opening of its new, 38th international office in Dubai.

The office will be the base of operations for Bain's business dealings in the Middle East, where the company has had a growing number of clients in recent years.

Jean-Marie Péan, who has worked in the region for several years, has been appointed managing director of Bain & Company Middle East. Péan has chalked many successes with Bain for almost two decades. He opened the company’s Brussels office in 1990 and helmed the Paris office until 2001.

“Bain has had the privilege of working with some of the leading companies in the region, helping generate enduring business results while strengthening our client teams,” said Péan.

“Our Middle East office will allow us to better serve the growing needs of the region. I am confident that with our teams’ passion for results, global capabilities and expertise, we will help create outstanding stories for our clients in the Middle East.”

Two senior partners will join Péan in the Dubai office. Julien Faye has been appointed as the Head of the Middle East Financial Services and Private Equity Practices and Naji Sourati the Head of the Middle East Telecommunications, Media and Technology Practice.

"Opening an office in the Middle East is a natural step in our continuing expansion in the GCC and Egypt. We have been working with companies in the region since the mid-90s and have a strong client base and local knowledge. Opening our office in Dubai is an important milestone in our commitment to the region," said Bain’s worldwide managing director Steve Ellis.