Eight Advisory, a Made in France success story that lasts!

In less than 15 years, Eight Advisory has become one of the major players in the French and European advisory market. How has the company evolved since its creation in 2009?

Eight Advisory (8A) was created in early 2010 to focus on Transactions and Restructuring situations, with a deliberately counter-cyclical approach. We wanted to offer an answer based on the strong commitment of the Partners and the higher seniority of the teams compared to existing advisory firms. This was immediately well received by the market. Gradually, we added expertise and experienced profiles. We started with a team of eight partners and about thirty professionals spread across two French offices. Today, we have almost 800 employees, including about a hundred partners, in 14 offices in 7 countries.

What are the main areas of expertise and activities of Eight Advisory?

After the creation of 8A, we expanded our Transaction and restructuring to include operational teams that support the transformation of companies. They work on Strategy & Operations aspects and support the finance departments.

At the same time, we have created a Financial Engineering department, which bundles technical competences (valuation, litigation support, capital markets, infrastructure and real estate) and developed Tax & Legal and Corporate M&A expertise to offer our clients a ‘one-stop shop’.

At the same time, you are continuing to expand in terms of expertise, business areas and geographic reach. What are your ambitions?

After establishing our offices in Paris and Lyon, we expanded to France (Nantes, Marseille and Rennes), the UK (London), Benelux (Brussels, Amsterdam), Germany (Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich) and Switzerland (Zurich). We will be opening our New York office in the coming weeks and have other European locations in the pipeline. In terms of expertise, we are in discussions about various complementary areas (ESG, actuarial, market due diligence, etc.).

Against this background, what do you think are the challenges and issues that will mobilise French and European companies in the medium and long term?

Companies today face many challenges and disruptive factors. Environmental protection, inflation management, the emergence of new technologies, the integration, management and retention of teams, sustainable growth, the protection of information systems and the optimisation of cash flow are all issues that need to be addressed. These multiple challenges will provide many opportunities for players who understand how to be agile and mobile, including in the area of mergers and acquisitions.

Although consulting remains popular with graduates from top business schools, consulting firms face a major challenge in attracting and retaining talent. How do you address this problem? What career paths do you offer your consultants?

Our values of respect, entrepreneurship and excellence illustrate what we offer our employees. We are particularly vigilant in ensuring perfect pay equality between men and women. Career paths at Eight Advisory are constantly enriched, both professionally and in terms of personal development. Bridges between specialties and our international offices allow our teams to diversify their experience. We also take into account the entrepreneurial aspirations of each individual: For example, we have helped several of our employees open new offices. And we do not forget the pleasure of sharing beautiful moments together at festive evenings and seminars.

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