Global Intelligence Alliance strengthens Group organization and adds local presence, merges with Asian, German and Dutch partner companies

GIA Group, a global leader in customized Market Intelligence and Strategic Analysis responds to customer needs by merging with partner firms in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany and Netherlands, giving the group 10 offices across three continents and greater access to expertise in strategic analysis and industry verticals.

Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA, www.globalintelligence.com), a global leader in customized Market Intelligence and Strategic Analysis services and solutions, is proud to announce mergers between GIA Group and three partner companies in the GIA Network: Fusion Consulting, based in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Gayer Consulting in Germany, and DeskResearch Nederland in the Netherlands.

The merger is driven by GIA’s clients’ needs for:
1.    Access to efficient research and in-depth intelligence across the globe
2.    Specialists with local market and industry expertise who understand their clients’ businesses
3.    A single partner to provide the full range of customized Market Intelligence and related consulting services

GIA has witnessed growth in demand for Market Intelligence in new geographic areas over the past three years due to the increasing globalization of supply chains, economic slowdown in Europe and North America, and rapid business expansion in the emerging markets. Global Intelligence Alliance specializes in customized Market Intelligence and Strategic Analysis services, and counts among its clients DHL, Fujitsu Services, Henkel, KONE, and Principal Financial Group.

The company is positioned as a single source for international organizations, providing:
1.    Business research and strategic analysis
2.    Continuous market and competitor monitoring
3.    Intelligence software solutions
4.    Training workshops and process consulting

The greater breadth of resources resulting from the mergers will allow GIA clients to benefit from the development of global industry vertical expertise practices within the group.

The three companies with which GIA is merging each have a strong track record serving sector-leading companies and are among the most established Market Intelligence and consulting companies in their respective geographies. They have all been active members of the GIA partner network for several years, enabling them to hit the ground running and allowing GIA to offer its Intelligence Partnership™ services to clients across the globe from day one of the merger.

Markko Vaarnas, CEO of GIA Group said: “Listening to our customers, we have learned that they would like to work with an increasingly integrated GIA. These mergers and the resulting operational harmonization respond to that request by facilitating even better customer service. GIA Group as a company has been planning to establish its own presence both in Asia and in Continental Europe for some time. As a result of the mergers, we now have five more offices in international business hubs where we will be close to our customers.”

Janne Martola, Investment Director of private equity house CapMan, GIA’s major investor, commented: "GIA Group has during the past couple of years experienced a very strong international growth. We see mergers and acquisitions as a natural step to support strong organic growth. Through these transactions GIA Group becomes a truly international company in the fast growing market intelligence services sector with a strong international customer base. CapMan is dedicated to supporting GIA Group’s growth and international expansion now and in the future."

Pete Read, Director of Fusion Consulting in Singapore said, “The Market Intelligence landscape is at a stage where going global makes perfect sense. Not only are major companies in Europe and North America increasingly looking to Asia for continued business growth, but Chinese and other Asian companies are now exploring worldwide opportunities, and more multinationals are relocating key global functions to Asian hubs such as Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. With offices in these locations, GIA is now ideally placed to act as the intelligence partner for all these companies.”

Marine Mallinson, Director of Fusion Consulting in Hong Kong said, “Being able to offer intelligence and strategic advisory services based on industry expertise and across global markets is a unique advantage which sets GIA apart.”

Carsten Gayer, Managing Director of Gayer Consulting said: “As a key message to our valued local customers we are proud to combine our proven local expertise in terms of sources, methodologies and markets with the high end structures and processes of an expanding and truly global company. The vast opportunities arising from the merger will definitely have tremendous advantages for our customers in Germany. We are especially excited to work on closer terms with our colleagues in Asia and elsewhere around the globe in order to provide intercontinental results as a true ‘one-stop service’ for our customers. Additionally, we are now better positioned to offer GIA’s successful concept of customized market monitoring services and the world-leading software related to that.”

Philippe Brandts, Managing Director of DeskResearch Nederland, said: “Our company has successfully operated in the field of customized Market Intelligence for ten years now. Although we have been co-operating with GIA Group since 2000, we felt an increasing need for further internationalization. This merger comes at an excellent moment, enabling us to accelerate our growth further and opening up a whole new array of possibilities for our customers in and outside of the Benelux countries.”

For additional information, please contact:

Markko Vaarnas, CEO, GIA Group
tel. +358 (0)424 956 200

Pete Read, Director, Fusion Consulting
tel. +65 6423 1681

Carsten Gayer
Managing Director, Gayer Consulting
tel. +49(0)201 26690-0

Philippe Brandts
Managing Director, DeskResearch Nederland
tel. +31 207 706877

About Global Intelligence Alliance
Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA, www.globalintelligence.com) provides clients with a single source for customized Market Intelligence services: market monitoring, business research and analysis projects, the Intelligence Plaza™ software, consulting and training. Through its full-range service offering, GIA helps customers set up and conduct Market Intelligence activities that serve both strategic and operational decision-making. The GIA network consists of GIA Group companies and independent Member and Research Partner organizations that operate in more than 100 countries. GIA Group was founded in 1995 and is owned by management and private investors. Venture capital funding to support international expansion was obtained in April 2007 from CapMan (www.capman.com).

About Fusion Consulting
Fusion Consulting (www.fusionc.com) is a business research and consulting firm specialising in the Asia-Pacific region and delivering strategic, timely and affordable market intelligence, competitive intelligence and consultancy to sector-leading clients. The company coordinates its industry research consultants in 16 countries across the region from hub offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Fusion Consulting was established in 2002 and has been a member of the Global Intelligence Alliance network since 2004.

About Gayer Consulting
Gayer Consulting (based in Germany, www.gayer-consult.com) is a full-service provider of customized research,  analysis and Market Intelligence. With its experienced high end research department Gayer Consulting offers both primary and secondary source research services. Gayer Consulting works with its customers through all steps in the strategic marketing chain, providing information gathering and analysis services that lead to conclusions-based solutions and recommendations. Gayer Consulting was among the founding members of the GIA Network.

About DeskResearch Nederland
DeskResearch Nederland (www.deskresearch.com) is a Dutch market research company that has wide experience in finding and analyzing business information. The company delivers tailor-made Market Intelligence and information brokerage services. Based in Amsterdam, DeskResearch Nederland works for an international clientèle in a broad range of industries.

Gl