from a casual lunch to a
professional consulting association in less than
3 years..
It all
started in early 2000 when some executives in their second or third career
got together once a month to network and exchange referrals and business
contacts. The monthly event grew and in less than three years has become a
fully operational association with a membership in excess of fifty
consultants and professionals.
“The Experion Group’s name was selected because it underlines the
experience aspect of the association members,” says Rick Shaw, the
President of the association. Experience is a key feature and
ingredient of this young professional association, which as its motto
declares “experience producing value” to further highlight that these
consultants are committed to bringing value to their clients.
Robert Graham, the founder says: “When we started with these informal
executives lunches, I never thought we would be a full fledged
association.” The speed with which the association has grown
indicates a real growing need in the business community for independent,
seasoned and experienced consultants outside the traditional big five
management consulting companies.
With much more need for separation between auditing and accounting
services vs. true independent consulting services, the Experion formula is
prospering. “The large firms will tend to favor the large consulting
companies but the mid–size firms are searching for better value“ says
Florian Meyer, President of FBDC, a consulting firm specializing in the
financial area.
Over the last three years, many of the leading consulting and
consulting/auditing firms have merged together, split and/or even changed
their names to further offer clients a better profile of services and most
importantly - independence.
Hugh Latif, a member of the Experion Executive board in charge of
marketing and principal of his own management consulting practice says
that today’s clients want the experience and practical know-how of
consultants but do not want to pay for the high overheads and the army of
junior consultants that show-up once the contract has been signed. “When
a customer likes a certain consultant, they want him/her on the assignment
and not a group of young MBA graduates showing-up to do the job.“
Experion consultants cover a very comprehensive range of expertise that
includes sales, marketing, strategy, finance, operations, IT, HR, legal,
M&A, purchasing, real estate and even interior design. As to the
industries, the members cover all sectors of the economy, including the
new and old one.
Unlike other consulting associations, the Experion Group does not charge
members any commissions for their referrals. There is only one
nominal annual association fee to cover the cost of the website, some
administration and event planning. Members are encouraged to
negotiate their own fees between themselves. “This further keeps the
cost to the client down and maintains the association’s independence“
says Larry Rudner, head of a financial consulting firm in Toronto.
The Experion Group meets the first Wednesday of every month (except July,
August and December) at noon for a networking lunch at the University Club
of Toronto. “At every meeting, a speaker is retained, usually covering a
subject of interest to the membership and with applications for their
clients“ reports Marney Kay, a member of the executive committee and a
Marketing and Communication consultant.
Does the world need a new candy bar? Probably not. Does
Toronto need another consulting company? While one may be tempted to
say “no”, the fact that such a humble beginning can achieve so many
milestones in such a short period of time would indicate that business
people still need expert advice and counsel. Harish Chauhan,
principal of X-Rare, a member of Experion says with a smile: “We
bring unique value, true independence and proven high ethics. That’s why
we have been so successful.“
The Experion Group brings a comprehensive roster of true professional
expertise without the heavy fees of the big five consulting
companies. For more information visit
www.experiongroup.com or contact Paul Graham, the association’s key
executive for the website.
