News round-up: January 11

Hitachi Consulting claims top spot today after announcing its second acquisition in one week. The firm's latest pick-up is Aptivo Consulting, an IT strategy and solutions provider out of Madrid, Spain. The move more than doubles Hitachi Consulting Iberia's headcount, though the peninsular division already boasted offices in Barcelona, Lisbon and Madrid. Hitachi representatives hailed the acquisition as a sign of the firm's global ambitions. “Hitachi Consulting remains committed to pursuing very strategic acquisitions that will allow us to continue to expand our global business,” said Phil Parr, Hitachi Consulting's president and CEO. “The Aptivo acquisition aligns clearly with this strategy."

Can't crack the Big 4? Try the Big 40. Accounting and consulting shop Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra merged today with New York-based ERE. A press release noted that combined revenue should exceed $85 million, moving the new firm (now operating under the awful name MBAF-ERE CPAs LLC) into the nation's top 40 accounting/consulting businesses. The combined firm counts fiscal, infrastructure, and technology consulting amount its advisory specialties. "We decided to grow our practice because we believe that a larger organization will provide our clients with a greater selection of services and an unmatched professional staff," said Ira Rubenstein, ERE's managing director. Good luck keeping up with the big guns.

In other news, Cognizant announced that it will double the size of its Phoenix, Arizona delivery center from 500 to 1,000, hiring "aggressively" along the way; worldwide arms dealers/war consultants BAE Systems decided to hold onto their aerospace/platform solutions division, which was recently up for sale; and Wells Fargo bought JFK Consulting Group, a small employee benefits consultancy operating mostly in Kansas and Missouri.

Lastly, my daily news research has uncovered the existence of a tiny consultancy with one hilarious name: Ferrel-Katz LLC. I'm soliciting any information that anyone can provide about the partners (presumably named Ferrel and Katz) or the firm in general. Does it still exist? How can we contact them for an interview? Is this the organized feline backlash that we've always feared would one day be upon us?

For more information:
Hitachi Consulting Acquires Madrid-based Aptivo Consulting
Accounting and Consulting Firms to Join Forces
Cognizant Expands North American Delivery Center Footprint to Accommodate Rapid Growth
BAE Systems to Keep Platform Solutions Unit
Wells Fargo Insurance Services Acquires JFK Consulting Group, LLC
Renowned Employment Practice Consultant to Speak at COO Forum (Ferrel Katz alert!)