Berenschot and Mazars open JV office in South Africa

Accounting firm Mazars and Dutch management consulting firm Berenschot will open a joint venture (JV) office in South Africa next week. The new office – called 'Mazars Berenschot South Africa’ – will deliver management consulting services to public and private organisations in the region.

Mazars has almost 14,000 employees and offices in 72 countries, making it one of the largest professional services providers in the world. The consulting firm offers a full suite of advisory services, including audit, accountancy, tax, human capital and management consulting.

Berenschot is one of the oldest management consulting firms of the Netherlands, established in 1938. In the past 76 years, the firm has built a strong tack record, in particular in the field of management consultancy services. Berenschot has around 350 employees and is headquartered in Utrecht.

The decision of Berenschot to expand to Africa does not come as a big surprise. According to the consulting firm, Western companies see growing opportunities in Africa, resulting in an increasing demand for African expertise and/or local support. “The joint venture in Africa fits a trend,” explains Luc Steenhorst, Director of Berenschot International. “More and more European companies are asking us to support the development of businesses and projects in Africa.” For example, Berenschot is involved in a project aimed at the improvement of water management in Ghana, but the firm is also executing projects in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, says Steenhorst.

The choice for South Africa is mostly based on the close relation between the two countries. The Netherlands is an important trading partner of South Africa, and the Dutch industry is well represented in the African country. With the choice for Mazars as local partner, the two firms build on their existing cooperation in the Netherlands, where they work together in the field of mergers and acquisitions through their Mazars Berenschot Corporate Finance joint venture.

South Africa

Mazars Berenschot South Africa is based in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The advisory firm will mainly focus on clients in the water, energy, transport, and healthcare sector. The management of the consulting firm consists of Kariem Hoosain and Anoop Ninan of Mazars South Africa, and Luc Steenhorst and Fons de Zeeuw of Berenschot.

Source: Consultancy.uk