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Acquisition of USIDE in Paris

Sia Partners joins forces with USIDE to reinvent the art of leadership

Reinventing the Art of Leadership

  • The companies, founded by Matthieu Courtecuisse and Eric Albert, respectively, have joined forces to help executives navigate the major shifts taking place today and place human capital at the heart of crisis recovery

  • With the acquisition of USIDE, counting more than 25 highly experienced consultants and having served two thirds of CAC 40 companies, Sia Partners reinforces its position among the top five consulting firms in France

  • Sia Partners has now surpassed 1,000 employees in France (1,900 worldwide) and is opening two new offices in Nantes and Los Angeles, in line with its strategic plan

 

Reinventing the art of leadership, reimagining tomorrow’s ways of working

Paris, April 6, 2021. In the context of the present crisis and subsequent acceleration of corporate transformation, Sia Partners and USIDE believe that executives must reinvent their approach to leadership and management in a way that places human capital at the heart of their organizations.

USIDE is the French standard for management in terms of corporate behavior, having served two thirds of CAC 40 companies. Since its founding in 1990, USIDE has specialized in quality of life at work. Over time, it has developed a broad range of expertise, supporting executives and cultural transformation within organizations and implementing innovative policies for attracting and managing talent. USIDE’s work is based on recognized scientific methodologies, which the firm has developed in accordance with French and international standards. With a team of 70 consultants, led by Eric Albert (Managing Partner and psychiatrist), Laurence Saunder (Managing Partner), and Jean-Luc Emery (Partner and psychiatrist), USIDE generates approximately 10 million euros in annual revenue.

USIDE will remain an autonomous entity, and its three managers will join Sia Partners’ management committee. "Sia Partners and USIDE share the same vision with respect to business transformation—accelerated by the present crisis—and have complementary approaches. Our union is natural: we have known each other for a long time and have already had the opportunity to collaborate on client projects. USIDE’s goal is to draw on Sia Partners' expertise in artificial intelligence and digital and collaborative tools, in order to enhance our databases and behavioral analysis tools. This combination will also allow us to leverage Sia Partners' global network to further USIDE’s development," said Eric Albert, Managing Partner of USIDE.

Given the intensity of transformations in the aftermath of the crisis, we must, alongside our clients, envision new management codes within organizations, ranging from leadership to employee engagement and quality of life at work. USIDE has a unique ability to enhance the  collective performance of executive committees—a real ‘French touch’ when it comes to management, from which our 500 clients around the world will benefit," adds Matthieu Courtecuisse, founder and CEO of Sia Partners.

 

Dynamic growth and new offices

With this acquisition, Sia Partners has furthered its development in France, exceeding 1,000 employees (1,900 worldwide). Despite the crisis, the group has continued to grow business, reporting over €170 million in annual revenue in France (€310 million worldwide), reinforcing its position among the top 5 strategy and management consulting firms in the hexagon.

At the group level, despite the uncertainties of the present economic climate, Sia Partners has continued a  dynamic development trajectory characterized by double-digit growth. The group achieved nearly 19% in growth during the 2020 fiscal year (ending June 30), with around 20% in growth expected for the current fiscal year.

In line with Sia Partners’ NEXT-GEN 2023 strategic plan, announced in December 2020, and the group's objective to double in size to 3,000 employees and 500 million euros in revenue by the end of 2023, Sia Partners is opening two new offices in April in its two primary markets, France and the United States, with new locations in Nantes and Los Angeles.

 

About Sia Partners

Sia Partners is a next-generation management consulting firm and pioneer of Consulting 4.0. We offer a unique blend of AI and design capabilities, augmenting traditional consulting to deliver superior value to our clients. Counting 1,800 consultants in 18 countries, we expect to achieve USD 300 million in turnover for the current fiscal year. With a global footprint and expertise in more than 30 sectors and services,  we optimize client projects worldwide. Through our Consulting for Good approach, we strive for next-level impact by developing innovative CSR solutions for our clients, making sustainability a lever for profitable transformation.

 

About USIDE

As the leading consulting firm specializing in cultural and behavioral change, USIDE sets the French standard for supporting companies and their leaders in all human dimensions: Managerial Strategy and Collective Performance, Talent Management, and Quality of Life at Work.

With unique, science-based behavioral expertise, a team of more than 25 senior consultants, and experience serving two-thirds of CAC 40 companies, USIDE creates the conditions for a positive dynamic of adaptability by placing people at the heart of sustainable performance.

In 2019, USIDE acquired Saville Consulting France, an expert in assessing and evaluating potential, which it achieves by leveraging tools and questionnaires developed by the international research center, Saville Assessment (personality, skill, ability). These tools are available in some forty languages, and have received top ratings by the highly prestigious British Psychological Society. They are used in various phases of talent management (recruitment, assessment, collective intelligence, mobility, coaching, and development).

Biographies

Eric Albert is a psychiatrist. He created USIDE in 1990, and is one of the most recognized experts in the fields of management and wellbeing at work. As a coach for executives and the executive committees of large groups, he has developed a consultancy in managerial strategy, and supports transformation through behavior and culture. An editorial writer at the French journal, Les Echos, since 2011, Eric has published over 10 books which have received several awards.

Jean Luc Emery is a psychiatrist, specialized in the treatment of emotional illness, and the Associate Director of USIDE. He helps companies solve people-problems: management strategy consulting, team cohesion and performance, talent management, support for cultural transformations, and promotion of quality of life at work. His passion: putting into practice concrete, scientific knowledge from psychology and cognitive neuroscience to support health and performance in companies. He is also the author of several books.

Laurence Saunder joined USIDE in 2000, after spending 20 years building and marketing a family business. She joined USIDE to manage the firm and further its development, together with Eric Albert and Jean Luc Emery. She manages the research department of USIDE, working in collaboration with external partners (e.g. the French National Center for Scientific Research, universities) on psychological sciences and their application and benefit within companies. She is convinced that leveraging emotional energy in order to be a positive leader is a powerful factor in both performance and health. She is a member of the board of directors of Syntec Conseil and co-founder and vice president of FIRPS (federation for practitioners in the domain of psychosocial risk). She has also authored and contributed to several books and scientific publications.