Arthur D. Little flies in Anaïs Gilette and Quentin Bonnefond from France for Oz expansion

As it continues to build up its Australian practice, global strategy and management consultancy Arthur D. Little has flown in senior reinforcements Anaïs Gilette and Quentin Bonnefond from France.

Jumping at the opportunity to help establish the Arthur D. Little brand overseas, the pair of senior strategy consultants join the firm’s budding office in Melbourne, which at 180 Flinders Street is notably just a short stroll to the ‘Paris End’ of the city’s CBD on east Collins.

“We’re excited to welcome Anaïs and Quentin,” said Arthur D. Little principal Andrew Sampson, who was recruited from Ernst & Young last year. “We’re looking forward to working with them on projects and showing them our favourite Melbourne cafes, restaurants and pubs.”

Often described as the ‘world’s oldest management consultancy’ based on its founding in Boston in 1886, the now-Brussels headquartered firm has been much slower than its global counterparts in exploring the Australian market. That changed in the middle of last year via the recruitment of former EY-Parthenon industry global leader Franco Santucci as country lead partner.

Since then, Arthur D. Little has officially confirmed its Australian expansion plans, adding Sampson and more recently Manik Mahajan as principals. Still, as a new market entrant, Arthur D. Little’s march on Australian soil has been a little more subdued than fellow management consultancy Oliver Wyman’s approach, not to mention Alvarez & Marsal’s all-out assault.

Building on its local capabilities though, Arthur D. Little’s Australian branch has now welcomed Bonnefond and Gilette from its Paris office, where both have been developing their advisory expertise over the past three to four years following respective internship stints at Deloitte and EY; Bonnefond in data strategy, management & analysis, and Gilette in financial auditing.

For Gilette, that included a focus on the retail and luxury sector, the latter which is pushing toward an annual worth of $500 billion with its locus now in the Asia Pacific. While many of France’s major consultancies have decamped to La Défense a decent hike from the city’s high streets, Arthur D. Little still maintains an office directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

Now, Gilette and Bonnefond will be stationed in Australia’s self-declared food and fashion capital, which has also been described as the ‘arse-end’ of the world, but where people at least know how to properly pronounce ‘croissant’. Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermes, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, and Chanel all have central outlets just around the corner from Arthur D. Little’s local office.

In classic French understatement, Bonnefond posted to his LinkedIn account: “Dear network, I’m happy to share that I’m joining the Arthur D. Little team in Melbourne to help establish the brand overseas. Cheers.”

Following the last global financial crisis in 2008, France has since become the second-biggest supplier of young, working-visa talent to Australia behind the United Kingdom.