As the firm continues to grow its global offering, Eight Advisory has established a new office in New York. The move sees Eight Advisory open its first presence on the other side of the Atlantic.

With more than 600 consultants, Eight Advisory is a pan-European consulting firm specialised in transactions, restructuring, transformations and restructuring. In recent times, the firm has been expanding and diversifying its talent to meet with rising demand across Europe.

Headquartered in Paris, the firm has since launched presences in Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Lyon, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Zurich and London. As the firm looks to support both Eight Advisory’s European clients in their international development, and US companies looking to invest in Europe, it has decided the time is right to add to this, and launch its first North American hub.

Speaking on the development, Justin Welstead, member of the Eight Advisory executive committee, stated, “After our start in France and success in opening offices in the UK, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, New York is an important milestone for Eight Advisory. We have historically worked on a significant number of projects for European clients in the region and with Laurent and the team, we are adding a locally based expertise to strengthen our offer.”

The US is the world’s largest national management consulting market. At the same time, alongside London, New York remains the world’s leading financial services hub – offering up huge opportunities for consulting firms looking to break into the market. This has seen a number of UK and EU consulting firms look to set up shop in the Big Apple in recent years, including Evora Global, 11:FS and Elixirr.   

Eight Advisory’s newest office opens its doors in the heart of New York City. It will be led by Transactions Services Partner Laurent Williot, who joins Eight Advisory to take responsibility for the development of the firm’s business in the US.

Williot, a dual French and American citizen, started his career with Arthur Andersen in France before moving to the US in 2000. He has since specialised in transaction support there, working with EY, PwC and most recently BDO. He brings over 20 years of experience accompanying financial investors and corporate groups on financial due diligence projects across a wide range of sectors including business services, energy and infrastructure, consumer, technology, hospitality, construction, manufacturing, and industrial products.

Speaking on the road ahead, Williot said, “I am very excited to join Eight Advisory and be part of its expansion into the vibrant and dynamic New York market. The firm’s reputation, combined with its entrepreneurial approach to transaction support and its truly international DNA, fits perfectly with the needs of European clients looking at North American expansion and American clients looking at Europe.”

Alongside him, Williot’s team will include Louis Legros, director, and Archer Tawney, manager, both experienced transaction services professionals from Eight Advisory’s Paris and London offices. They will be supplemented by local hires, ultimately being joined by a team of managers, seniors, and analysts with an objective of a 20-strong team during the course of 2024.