Porsche Consulting expands in China with office launch in Beijing

Management consultancy Porsche Consulting has launched a new office in Beijing, expanding its presence in China from an existing outlet in Shanghai.

A subsidiary of the famed car manufacturer, Porsche Consulting’s expertise extends beyond the automotive industry, including through the provision of a range of strategy and management services to the construction, aviation, industrial and consumer goods sectors among others. The consultancy was founded in 1994 following a critical restructuring of its parent, with a view toward sharing the knowledge and expertise gained through the process with other organisations.

Today, the consulting firm has upwards of 650 employees and offices on four continents – including its latest launched in Beijing, which joins an existing Shanghai outlet established in 2013. Since then, the branch claims to have served more than 30 local and multinational companies as well as providing services on over 300 projects – building what it says is one of the largest advisory teams focused on operations management and the automotive sector in China.

“Since we entered the Chinese market six years ago, we have clearly demonstrated the high quality and innovation rooted in Porsche sports cars,” said Porsche Consulting China managing director and one-time McKinsey & Company manager Jiawei Zhao, who described the Beijing launch as a commitment to the Chinese market. “We are also renowned for best-in-class management practices, expertise, and project approaches grounded in the Porsche management style.”

Designed to enhance the company’s cooperation with Volkswagen Group China’s other affiliates (which include Lamborghini, Bentley, and Ducati among others), the new Porsche Consulting outlet is located in the Audi China Building of the capital’s 751D Park, and will provide advisory and implementation services in strategic transformations, innovation and sustainable development among other areas, including an increasing focus on digitisation and Industry 4.0.

“Beijing is not only the political and economic center of China, but also an important hub for the development of scientific and technological innovation,” commented Porsche Consulting CEO Eberhard Weiblen, who has been with the firm since its beginnings. “The metropolis attracts digital talents from around the globe and is therefore an ideal place for Porsche Consulting to further strengthen its work, especially in the fields of digital transformation and innovation.”

Along with Shanghai, Porsche Consulting’s newest office joins an expanding portfolio of locations worldwide, including German home-bases in Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin (where the firm is considered among the top ten management consultancies in the local market), Americas branches in São Paulo, Atlanta, and Silicon Valley (2018); and further European offices in Milan and Paris – the latter outlet in France also freshly launched this month.

While the toll on the local automotive industry from the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak is as yet unknown (the Volkswagen Group is among automakers to have currently slowed or halted local production), the Chinese automotive sector is at the forefront of the industry’s transformation. According to Roland Berger, China heads the globe for autonomous vehicle disruption, while an OC&C Strategy survey found the country’s citizens to be those most open to automobile solutions.