Pollen Consulting goes international with new UK office
Five years after founding in Australia, Pollen Consulting Group has expanded internationally with the launch of a new office in the United Kingdom.
“The UK has always been part of the long-term plan,” Paul Eastwood said, an Englishman who founded Pollen Consulting Group in 2016 following a career in industry. Having built up the firm down under to an established brand in the niche it operates in – supply chain and operations in the FMCG landscape – Eastwood had spent the past year “working on our growth strategy into the UK.”
With the UK now gradually rebounding from the pandemic-induced downturn, and FMCG's scrambling to adapt to the ‘new normal’, Pollen Consulting Group wants to be “part of getting things back on track.”
Mirroring its outfit in Sydney, the UK arm focuses on helping clients across the FMCG landscape, including food & beverage, food retail, consumer manufacturing and retail, with driving bottom-line performance. “Our sweet post lies in creating value through end-to-end supply chain transformation.” Key offerings span manufacturing excellence, supply chain efficiency, lean, engineering, procurement and technology.
According to the latest data from Consultancy.uk, FMCG represents around 16% of UK’s £10 billion consulting industry, with the (digital) operations segment taking a roughly 30% slice of that share. The segment is competitive, however; in the words of Eastwood, it is “saturated with niche providers. We see the need to change it up.”
To kickstart the new office the consultancy has recruited Derek Cunningham as Managing Director, and appointed Sophia Pizzey as Growth & Engagement Lead.
Cunningham has 15 years of experience in the UK management consultancy sector, with a focus on supply chain. He previously served Applied Acumen, a London-based boutique, where he was a Director. Earlier in his career he worked for Libra. “He has a real passion for technology, supply chain and a values driven approach,” said Eastwood.
Commenting on his decision to embark on building Pollen's profile in the UK, Cunningham said: “I heard about Pollen through mutual industry contacts and I was attracted as they are very people-centric. I loved the fact that they employ bright people with an entrepreneur outlook and manage under a flat structure organisation.”
Pizzey added, “Our client list grows through exceptional references; they love working with our team because we execute with an entrepreneurial mindset and offer fresh insights.”
“We can’t wait to bring the culture, values and capabilities that we are known so well for in Australia and New Zealand and replicate it in the UK,” Cunningham and Pizzey concluded.
