Accuracy enters Chinese consulting market with acquisition of GTE China

International advisory firm Accuracy has acquired Chinese consultancy firm GTE, in a move that marks its market entry into China, one of the globe’s fastest growing consultancy industries.

The new Chinese office will, in contrast to the firm’s fourteen other offices globally, provide a more focused set of services, specifically geared at market entry services into China. Across its footprint, Accuracy helps clients with four main service areas – mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, forensics and litigation, and dispute resolution. 

“This acquisition will allow us to understand China deeply, as well as its various market players. It will give us the ability to conduct opportunity studies in the country and help our clients with establishing valuable relationships with Chinese players,” said Frédéric Duponchel, the CEO of Accuracy, who has been with the consulting firm since it launched in France in 2004.

The acquired advisory firm, Beijing-based GTE China (GTE), helps mainly European companies with three key propositions: understanding the Chinese market, gaining insight in key public and private players in China, and the development of businesses and organisational strategies tailored to the county and region. 

At the helm of GTE stands Frédéric Behara, who has been working in China since 1989. During his tenure in the country, he led the Chinese operations of Airbus, was Strategy Director at Eurocopter from 1995 to 2002, and prior to founding GTE in 2007 he served as the cultural and scientific advisor to the French embassy in China. Behara is supported by a local team, including his deputy Gong Li, a Chinese citizen who joined GTE two years ago. Prior to that, she worked at Alstom in China as a development manager, then as a public affairs and strategy manager. 

Reflecting on how he believes GTE can propel Accuracy’s China-oriented services, Behara said, “GTE positions itself as Accuracy’s learning and development platform in China. We are delighted to be able to provide support to Accuracy’s clients and help them explore this country’s immense potential and capacity for innovation in detail.”

The new office becomes Accuracy’s third in Asia, following entry into India (New Delhi; in 2013) and the Republic of Singapore (Singapore; in 2016). Late last year the firm, which has a team of around 360 consultants (of which 40+ are partners), also entered the Middle East with the opening of an office in Dubai.