BrazilAsian training consultancy firm Neville Clarke acquired by BSI
Neville Clarke, a training consultancy headquartered in Singapore, has been acquired by British Standards Institution (BSI), an international standards body for a wide range of products and services. As part of the integration, Neville Clarke has rebranded as BSI Neville Clarke.
With around 150 employees across seven offices in Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Neville Clarke is one of Asia’s larger specialised training consultancies specialised in management systems (i.e. ISO standards) and associated skills (i.e. Kaizen, Lea, Six Sigma).
After operating independently for eight years, Neville Clarke has yet again joined a larger rival. Founded in 1988, the consultancy was in 1996 acquired by Pera to serve as the Asian training arm of the UK headquartered international management and technology consulting company. In 2009, Neville Clarke completed a management buyout from its parent in a bid to leverage independence to accelerate growth across the region.
Commenting on the decision to join BSI, Alan Russell, Director at Neville Clarke stated: “The strong reputation and values of both companies make for a good marriage and will provide a secure future with greater opportunities for both our highly committed staff and their clients.”
For BSI, the acquisition is in line with the firm’s strategy to ramp up its presence in Asia, which is one of the fastest growing regions for professional accreditation and certification. “For a number of years, our strategy has been to build critical scale in the ASEAN market. The acquisition of Neville Clarke enables us to do this by not only expanding our footprint in this region (which includes market entry into the Philippines) but by strengthening our training expertise and product offering for our clients,” explained Howard Kerr, Chief Executive of BSI.
According to an analyst report, Neville Clarke’s portfolio will in particular bolster BSI’s training courses and intellectual property in the areas of Assurance, Engagement and Performance, both at a regional level and at a global level. The main clients of Neville Clarke are in the manufacturing, financial, healthcare, technology, food and automotive sectors, spanning government, international and local clients.
David Horlock, who leads BSI in Asia Pacific, added, “The acquisition of Neville Clarke's professional team, their intellectual property and technical expertise combined with the internationally recognized BSI brand and broader services will help unlock excellence for our clients. The acquisition also provides professional development and career enhancing opportunities for Neville Clarke's technical specialists.”
British Standards Institution
Established in 1901 in London, British Standards Institution today serves over 81,000 clients in 180+ countries. The certification body provides certification to companies worldwide who implement management systems standards including ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety), ISO 50001 (Energy management systems), EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and Food Safety standards and specifications, such as ISO 22000.
Last year BSI acquired three other companies: Info-Assure, a provider of cyber security and information assurance, Creative Environment Solutions, an environmental and safety consulting firm, and Atrium, an expert in occupational safety, industrial safety and environmental compliance.
