Qrious buys consulting arm of WhereScape in New Zealand
Auckland-based IT consultancy Qrious has acquired NOW Consulting, beefing up its headcount in New Zealand with around 170 professionals. NOW Consulting – previously known as Wherescape Consulting – is the consulting subsidiary of data infrastructure developer WhereScape.
Qrious is a subsidiary of telecom and ICT provider Spark New Zealand. The firm’s services are grounded in extracting value from data, combining data exploration and innovation to offer a variety of solutions. These include analytics support to deliver business insights, platform-as-a-service, Big Data and data monetisation, among others.
The firm’s operations in New Zealand spread across Auckland and Wellington, and the new acquisition will take its headcount from 100 to 170. The new NOW Consulting team brings with it a similar portfolio of expertise, having delivered data & analytics services across New Zealand for more than two decades.
NOW Consulting was founded as a business intelligence and data-warehousing firm in 1999 in Auckland, by data expert Michael Whitehead. Since its establishment, the firm’s suite of services has evolved to meet the needs of an evolving marketplace, delving into domains of cloud data warehousing, visualisations, cloud analytics, and a range of other contemporary data solutions.
Whitehead led the firm as CEO until 2016, before taking over as Chairman and leaving executive responsibilities to David Morris. Operating under Qrious ownership, the firm will look to consolidate its presence in the analytics market, competing with a host of other major firms that are bolstering data capabilities in the region.
Commenting on the acquisition, Morris said, “Both our businesses are passionate about partnering with customers to provide solutions that deliver tangible long-term value, and the opportunity to immediately offer more advanced analytics and AI services will be of real benefit for our customers and our people.”
Big Four accounting and advisory firm Deloitte recently launched its Deloitte Digital vertical in New Zealand, which will also be looking to occupy a chunk of the big data market. Other major advisory firms have been making similar investments. Qrious already has a significant presence in New Zealand, but will be looking to build on this to remain competitive.
“The combined business will be a powerful offering for the New Zealand market. We’re responding to the growing demand from companies for foundational data solutions and services that enable them to unleash intelligence and fast-track their access to the hidden wealth in their data,” said Nathalie Morris, chief executive officer of Qrious.
