West Monroe targets continued growth for human capital management practice
West Monroe, a national management consulting firm, announced plans to continue expanding its human capital management (HCM) practice.
The Chicago-based firm launched its HCM practice in December 2019, welcoming two senior partners from Mercer – Jeff Cox and David Hillborn – to lead it. The practice grew quickly in 2020 amid the pandemic, adding 21 professionals to the team.
West Monroe’s HCM practice supports clients in the human resources and organizational aspects of M&A transactions; talent analytics and strategy; organization design and HR function transformation; and selection and implementation of workforce technology.
The consultancy plans to further grow the practice in 2021 through the hiring of “dozens of seasoned professionals and scouting acquisition targets,” according to a press release.
The pandemic has forced organizations to reassess their talent, HR, and workforce strategies. Companies in negatively impacted industries have had to cut costs and enact layoffs, while many have had to contend with the implementation of remote working. As the pandemic continues, many companies will attempt to manage costs with alternate HR models – including outsourcing and gig-working – while others plan to implement hybrid remote/office workplace models. The Covid-19 pandemic has also accelerated interest in productivity optimization and automation.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has induced M&A activity as private equity and cash-flush companies seek out opportunities and impacted industries consolidate.
West Monroe’s HCM professionals aim to continue supporting clients with the people side of the above transformations.
“Now more than ever it is critical to have the right deal support, talent strategy, organization design, and HR function in place to mitigate people risks and enable productive organizational change,” said Hillborn.
Cox added, “All roads lead back to people. By continuing to grow and invest in our HCM practice, West Monroe will be best positioned to advise clients on how to align their workforce with strategic priorities that will drive superior business results.”
The firm also launched a corporate transformation practice last year to help clients manage turnarounds and technological overhauls in an increasingly challenging business environment. West Monroe tapped Guy Cartwright, a seasoned private equity and turnaround executive, to lead the new practice.
West Monroe has 1,500 employees across eight offices in the US.
