The FINANCIAL — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Gabriel Al-Salem Foundation and the Turkish Management Consultants Association (YDD), with support from the European Union, are holding an international conference on management consulting in Istanbul on April 16.
The half-day event entitled “Consulting without Borders: Turning knowledge into value” provides a forum for discussion of best practice in business and consulting around the world and how this can create impact and business growth.
The event brings together professional consultants from across Turkey and the wider region, including last year’s winners of the International Award for Excellence in Consulting, as well as Turkish and international business owners, senior managers and representatives of international organisations active in private sector development, according to EBRD.
Charlotte Ruhe, Director for Small Business Support at the EBRD, said in her opening remarks: “At the EBRD we provide more than finance to small businesses. We provide business advice to small-and medium-sized enterprises as we believe that they need professional know-how to grow and stay competitive. The Bank connects firms with consultants who have expertise in a wide range of areas, turning knowledge into value and sharing the project cost with the company.”
With support from its generous donors, to date the EBRD has helped transform 15,000 companies in 26 countries.
In Turkey the Bank has helped over 200 enterprises to access advice, with projects being funded by the European Union, the Czech Republic, Korea, Turkey and also from the EBRD’s own funds.
90 per cent of these enterprises have increased their turnover, by an average of 25 per cent, and 41 per cent have improved their productivity, by an average of 21 per cent. As a result, 47 per cent of enterprises have increased their number of employees, creating almost 800 new jobs between 2011 and 2014.
Recognising the importance of constantly broadening the expertise of consultants, the Bank also holds a series of courses to share essential skills, resources and techniques for effective consulting as well as for running a successful consulting business.
The conference in Istanbul will be followed by a full-day workshop on 17 April on management consulting tools, delivered by Brian Ing from the International Council of Managing Consulting Institutes (ICMCI).
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