AI consultancy Arinco adds Connetico stable-mate D6 Consulting
AI consultancy Arinco has added Connetico stable-mate D6 Consulting to create a new artificial intelligence transformation practice combining business nous with in-house delivery capabilities.
Established in 2022 with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, D6 Consulting was shortly after backed by private equity firm Quadrant alongside Arinco and AWS consultancy Cevo, with the trio operating independently under the Connetico umbrella.
Now, D6 Consulting, which specialises in project management and business consulting with a focus on AI, cloud and data analytics, joins Microsoft AI specialist Arinco, creating a 220-strong AI transformation practice with a presence across Australia and New Zealand.
“We’re pleased to welcome the D6 Consulting, combining business consulting and technical expertise in the one team,” said Arinco CEO Chris Padgett. “As Microsoft focuses more on AI-led transformation, this integration positions us to support our customers with both the business and technology outcomes they need and deliver larger, more complex programs end-to-end.”
D6 was established by managing partners Joanne Spencer and Lisa Applegarth – both previously consultants at Cevo with earlier backgrounds at Telstra Purple and acquisition Kloud Solutions. Spencer, who kicked off her career with a decade and a half at PwC between Australia and the UK, now crosses to Arinco as AI transformation practice lead.
“Joining Arinco is a natural next step for our team,” Spencer said. “We have already worked closely together on many customer engagements, and this integration gives us the scale and platform to help even more organisations achieve their transformation goals.”
Arinco, which was itself established out of Kloud in 2019 by Padgett alongside CTO David Lee, principal consultant Brendan Carius, and Connetico director Nicki Bowers, has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland, with the consultancy having expanded to New Zealand in 2023. The merger pushes the firm’s headcount out to around 220 professionals.
Named Microsoft Australia partner of the year for 2024, Arinco provides a range of services around AI, cloud, data, apps, and security, with clients spanning the education, retail, utilities, healthcare, financial services and public sectors among others. D6 likewise works across industries, including previous projects for mining & resources and local government clients.
“This acquisition follows a period of significant momentum, and provides customers with a single, integrated partner for business consulting, program delivery and technical expertise across Microsoft Azure and 365," the firm stated. “Arinco continues to invest in expanding its national footprint and capability set to meet the growing demand for AI and digital transformation across industries.”
