Coaching institute IECL merges with Australian Institute of Management
Education group Scentia has purchased organisational coaching and development provider IECL following the wind-up of GrowthOps, with McGrathNicol having served as administrators.
Purchased last year by private equity firm Next Capital, Scentia will now add the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL) to its portfolio which further includes The Australian Institute of Management and AIM Business School.
The deal follows the appointment of McGrathNicol partners Katherine Sozou and Damien Pasfield at the end of last month to oversee the voluntary administration of GrowthOps, which was launched in 2017 as a creative, tech, and management consulting roll-up.
Operating since 1999, IECL was one of the eight entities initially brought together under the then Trimantium GrowthOps banner ahead of its $70 million IPO and ASX listing (before being scratched two and half years later as its share price plummeted from $1.20 down to 5 cents), but was the only subsidiary not subject to liquidation.
“Combining Australia’s leading coaching brand with AIM’s preeminent position in leadership development makes for a compelling proposition,” said Scentia CEO Martin Mercer, who previously headed NCS acquisition ARQ Group. “Together we can make a meaningful impact on the performance of leaders while continuing to train highly credentialled-coaches.”
In addition to its accredited coaching training courses, IECL provides individuals, teams and organisations with executive coaching and leadership development towards improved performance, engagement, and decision-making. The organisation is led by Gabrielle Schroder, former head of board advisory at the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
“This merger reinforces our commitment to driving innovation and excellence in leadership development,” Schroder said. “Leveraging Scentia’s extensive resources, educational infrastructure and network will provide opportunities for increased innovation and digital transformation and enable IECL to enhance our service offerings and reach new markets.”
AIM + IECL
Meanwhile, established in 1941, AIM provides business, leadership, and management short-courses and qualifications to upwards of 20,000 students per year geared towards the public and professional services sectors, with the AIM Business School offering flexible online MBAs and other postgraduate studies designed for working professionals.
Note: Growthops Asia, formed through GrowthOps acquisition of Asia Pacific Digital in 2018, is a separate operating entity and not part of the local dissolution. Also, the Khemistry brand, part of the original Growthops merger, is set to make a comeback as an independent agency alongside fellow Brisbane digital creative Flip and its sister tech consultancy Antero.
