Management Consulting & Business Advisory Services including Knowledge Management in South Africa 2022

Management Consulting and Business Advisory Services

The management consulting and business advisory services industry has been affected by the pandemic, which limited in-person consultations and travel and resulted in a number of clients cancelling projects. The reputational crisis in the industry has continued with allegations that several big management consulting firms were implicated in corruption by the state capture enquiry. Some mid-tier and boutique management consultancies have been able to capitalise on the crisis. Demand for consulting and business advisory services is rising, driven by clients looking for help with digital transformation, which increased during the pandemic. Enterprise and supplier development and turnaround and business rescue consulting also represent growing opportunities for business consultants.

Industry Players

While some very well-known firms with international footprints operate in this industry and have the lion’s share of revenue, the market is characterised by a large proportion of micro-businesses. It is estimated that almost 90% of business and management consultancies operating locally have no more than five employees.

Concerns

Ethical issues have come to dominate management consulting, particularly as several large firms have been caught up in state capture allegations, resulting in some reimbursing clients. There is also continuing concern over the independence of audit firms that offer consulting services, with some taking further steps to ring-fence consulting from audit services. One key risk in the sector is that clients can cancel contracts on short notice, which often puts revenue at risk. The sector is very competitive, and retaining and attracting talent is an ongoing challenge.

Report Coverage

This report focuses on management consulting and business advisory services including knowledge management in South Africa. It includes information on the state and size of the industry, significant issues and challenges, and subsectors such as knowledge management and business rescue. There are profiles of 53 companies including major players such as Accenture, BDO, McKinsey, KPMG, Deloitte and PwC and institutions such as Business Partners and the Free State Development Corporation.