Consulting Magazine - November 2017

Efficio is one of the largest procurement consultancies in the world. Its global team of consultants, representing more than 40 nationalities, support blue chip multinationals, private equity companies, SME clients and public sector organizations to identify, deliver and sustain improvement opportunities through procurement. “Our business model is unusual in the consultancy market because we are results-focused rather than purely advice-driven,” says CEO Jens Pedersen. “Our fee structure is linked to results and we are paid based on what we achieve for our clients. This demonstrates tremendous confidence in our range of services, technology and people.” Pedersen sat down with Consulting to discuss Efficio’s growth rate and revenue.

Consulting: What were the main factors that contributed to your firm’s exceptional growth?

Pedersen: Market conditions—the
importance of optimizing procure-
ment has increased as the global
economy becomes more compet-
itive and companies grow to rely
on a network of suppliers. Procure-
ment makes up 50 to 70 percent
of revenues in most organizations,
so managing costs in this area can
have a substantial impact on the
bottom line. And our value propo-
sition—we help improve internal
processes, transform procurement
functions, improve internal pro-
cesses and upskill in-house teams
to deliver large savings and sustain-
able results over the longer term.

Consulting: How is this year shaping up for your firm? Pedersen: We have racked up a lot of recognition: Listed in the FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies (2017); ranked 26 in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 (2017); ranked the 15th fastest-growing management consultancy in Europe by Consultancy.uk (2017).

Consulting: How would you describe your firm’s outlook for 2018? Where do you see the most opportunities? Pedersen: We see geographic growth. We opened offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh this year, having recently expanded our regional hubs in New York and Dusseldorf. We changed to our core offering— increased focus on Managed Services, where we stay with clients beyond the completion of a procurement transformation project to help them sustain the results we have delivered. And we deployed our leading-edge, technology-enabled procurement model.

Consulting: What would you
say are your firm’s biggest
challenges in 2018?

Pedersen: In an uncertain environment, keeping up with demand for our services; and, retaining our highly talented global team of consultants and recruiting more of the same caliber to help meet demand.

Consulting: What does being named one of Consulting’s Fastest Growing Firms mean to your firm, your employees and your clients? Pedersen: We are a people business. We work together as one global team to deliver large improvement projects for our clients globally. This accolade isn't just about our impressive growth trajectory, it also demonstrates how a group of people—representing more than 40 nationalities but with one shared vision—can come together to achieve successful and sustainable results for our clients.