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IMCN History

1. 1992: The IMCN is rooted in FEACO, the European management consulting body

FEACO, the European Federation of Management Consulting Associations, which was founded in 1960, actively supported the European cooperation of management consultancies. The internet and social media did not exist that time. In 1992, in Crans-Montana (Switzerland), FEACO launched the new FEACO working party «Small Tops» to complement the existing international «large one» working party. The initiant was Prof. Dr. André C. Wohlgemuth CMC, who later organised several «Small Top meetings» (e.g. in Rome and Brussels) under the FEACO umbrella.

2. 1992 – 1994: The vision was a European network of independent top management consultancies

The goal was to create the first long-term, competitive European network of independent, highly qualified, small management consultancies. It aimed to offer an attractive alternative to large management consulting firms, targeting internationally operating clients, such as corporations, family-owned firms and NPOs etc.

3. 1994: The IMCN was founded in Brussels, 3rd September 1994

The Independent Management Consultancies Network was founded in Brussels by nine members on 3rd September 1994 (2 Germany, Italy, 2 United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovak Republic and Switzerland). The IMCN had and still has a clear and professional criteria of membership, with all members undertaking a challenging admission procedure and pledginge to the professional Code of Conduct of Management Consultants. The responsible person of the member firm contributes actively to the good governance of the IMCN and has proved entrepreneurial spirit.

4. 1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021: Continuous development of the network

The IMCN is continuously developing and adapting in order to serve its clients' best interests. It held its first international client conference in Paris in 1997 and its first website was built in 1998/99 and is continuously renovated. The IMCN took a prominent platform and role at the Management Consulting World Conference in Berlin (5.10.2000) while the first M&A-workshop was held in Austria 2010. From 2003 to 2013, Hong Kong joined the IMCN as a Global Member, and from 2008 to 2013, the US also joined as a Global Member. In 2015, long-standing Norwegian member, Collusor, and its responsible person, Trond Parelius Johnsen, became the first honorary member of the IMCN. Based on continuous knowledge sharing and Europe-wide cooperations, as well as experiences with numerous cross-border assignments, many IMCN tools and useful products have been developed and are at the disposal of member consultants. 2019 the IMCN celebrates its 25th anniversary and renews its strategy for the future of the network (2020/21). The completion of this process was made visible to the public in 2021 through a new three-member governing body, the IMCN board. The chairman of the IMCN since 1994, André Wohlgemuth, was appointed honorary chairman by the members in 2021. 

5. Every year: regular annual meetings with clients and intense knowledge sharing

Every year, IMCN members meet for at least a two-day event with partners and clients alternately in a member country. The aim of these meetings is for knowledge-sharing, business development and quality assurance within the IMCN. Annual meetings have been held in Brussels (1994-97, 1999), London (1998), Milan (2000), Zurich (2001), Paris (2002), Athens (2003), Cambridge (2004), Vienna (2005), Lisbon (2006), Frankfurt (2007), Oslo (2007), London (2008), Rotterdam (2009), Düsseldorf (2010), Hong Kong (2011), Malmö (2012), Paris (2013), Frankfurt (2014), Milan (2015), Warsaw (2016), Lisbon (2017), Athens (2018), Barcelona (2019), virtual (2020), Vienna (2021), Bologna (2022) and in Oslo (2023).

6. Recognition of the IMCN and its members

Market studies confirm the importance of reliable networks for the management consulting profession and for management consulting clients. It is an enduring trend in the management consulting industry, which remains extremely dynamic. Since the beginning in 1994, the IMCN has been cited several times as a successful management consulting network in public, and also in academic media. IMCN members have often been awarded (e.g. winning awards for delivering highest value to clients, beeing one of the best consultancies in a field of IMCN specialisations, honorary membership of management consulting associations).

7. Former members

Country Firm CEO Member until
The Netherlands Van Oortmerssen Organisatie-Advies Willem Van Oortmerssen 2023
Finland Karme Consulting Oy Kim Karme 2022
Austria ALCEDO Unternehmensberatung Wolfgang Moser 2019
Sweden Cordial Linus Malmberg 2017
Poland APAX Consulting Group Dariusz Brzeziñski 2017
Italy METHODOS Sabrina Paladini 2017
Denmark Oleto Associates Ole Toft 2016
Germany IFM Institut für Managementberatung Rolf Heeb 2016
Austria imPlus Unternehmensentwicklung Thomas Böckle 2016
France Altaïr Conseil Bruno Gourévitch 2015
United Kingdom Business Transformation Michael Wellin 2015
Poland Augeo Ventures Dariusz M. Budzen 2013
Sweden XLNS Consulting Björn H. Lindbäck 2013
USA The Normandy Group
(Global member)
Charles C. Burke 2013
Hong Kong (China) K K Yeung Management Consultants (Global member) K K Yeung 2013
Spain Metanomia Consultoria Estratégica Edmond Ayoub 2013
Italy Diodovich Nicola Diodovich 2011
United Kingdom Touchstone Renard Philip Austin 2009
Portugal CEV - Consultores em Engenharia do Valor Maria José Pita 2009
Belgium CODEPRO Paul Van der Elst 2007
Belgium Comase Management Consulting Jean-Luc Henry 2006
Italy Butera e Partners Federico Butera 2006
United Kingdom ER Consultants Mark Goodridge
/ Ann Gammie
2006
Greece TEC Consultants Pantelis Koukos 2005
Germany Hans Eßer & Partner Hans Eßer 2004
Sweden LGM / Moncura Lars-Gunnar Mannersjö / Alf Glückman 2002
Italy ORGA Pierluigi Malinverni 2002
Greece Indeco Management Consultants Nikolaos Papadopoulos 2002
The Netherlands AO, Adviseurs voor Organisatiewerk Frits van den Berg 2001
Denmark Simonsen Management Erik Heidemann Simonsen 2001
Germany Walter Skarka Unternehemensberatung Walter Skarka 1999
United Kingdom MMM Consultancy Group Tony Wright 1998
Slovak Republic TIP Consulting Agency Zdenek Znamenacek 1998
Italy Pegaso Consulting Furio Patri 1997

8. Open to further development and new members

The IMCN is always interested in strengthening its network and striving for qualitative growth. We appreciate feedback from member clients and potential clients and are open to fruitful dialogue. Potential members are invited to contact the network secretariat.