Altman Solon launches Southeast Asia hub in Singapore

Following its merger last year, newly-formed global telecommunications, media, & technology (TMT) consulting specialist Altman Solon has made a move into the Asia Pacific with the opening of a new office in Singapore.

The new outlet – to be led by Altman Solon Director Ben Happel – will serve as the Southeast Asia hub for the specialist TMT advisory, which was formed in the middle of last year with the cross-Atlantic merger of Altman Vilandrie & Company and Solon Management Consulting.

“We already have extensive experience in the region, serving Asian clients from the US and European offices,” said Managing Partner Patrick Bellenbaum. “Singapore is a regional hub for the financial community and the gateway to strategic clients in Southeast Asia. With the Singapore office, we establish a permanent footprint in APAC, bundle local and regional market expertise, and attract local talent to serve our clients in this part of the world more effectively.”

A PhD-holder in International Management in Asia from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, Happel has worked with the firm for over fifteen years, and boasts a decade worth of consulting experience across Southeast Asia. His work has included market, competitive, and business plan assessments for data-center operators, fixed line, tower, and mobile operators along with go-to-market and network deployment strategies for fiber players.

Happel noted the unprecedented change being witnessed in the local TMT industries as presenting an exciting opportunity, citing several key trends such as infrastructure carve-outs and hyperscalers seeking ‘edge’ solutions. “The region boasts a thriving, innovative space of companies that are serving some of the largest and fastest growing consumer markets in the world. All of this makes APAC one of the most complex but also most exciting regions globally.”

According to a press release, Altman Solon plans to significantly grow its Singapore numbers in the coming months, with the firm’s global headcount already pushing toward 400 – making it the largest exclusively TMT sector-focused consultancy in the world (sizeable Dubai-based specialist Delta Partners was swallowed by FTI Consulting last year). And as its tenth and newest office, Singapore was quickly eclipsed by another APAC launch less than a week on.

Continuing its global momentum, Altman Solon also acquired large, Sydney-based Australia and New Zealand TMT advisory Venture Consulting. Together with former Oliver Wyman associate partner and ANZ TMT practice co-head David Bornstein, the Sydney office will be led by Venture CEO Justin Jameson, who prior to founding the firm in 2009 launched the Singapore practice of Spectrum Strategy Consultants, serving as its co-Managing Director for APAC.