YCP expands in the Gulf with strategic investment in Acuvon
YCP, an Asia-headquartered management consulting group, has taken a 50% stake in Acuvon, a consulting firm with a presence in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and India.
Founded in 2019 following a carve-out from i3 Consulting, Acuvon is a 60-person consulting firm that provides a range of business advisory and transformation services. The firm supports clients in areas such as strategy execution, growth, process transformation, performance management, operating model design, digital transformation, and continuous improvement.
Since its inception, Acuvon has completed more than 250 projects for clients in retail, consumer goods, healthcare, financial services, government, and other sectors. While the firm is headquartered in India, Acuvon generates the majority of its business in the Saudi and UAE markets.
YCP, meanwhile, is headquartered in Singapore and has around 500 consultants and staff working from more than 20 offices in major cities across Asia. The consulting firm also has teams based in the Middle East and North America, which it has been actively growing in recent years as part of its internationalization strategy.
“The Middle East represents a significant long-term opportunity for YCP, with the depth and scale of transformation underway across the region creating sustained demand for consulting and execution support,” said Yuki Ishida, CEO of YCP.
“Acuvon’s strong client relationships and deep understanding of the Saudi and UAE markets are highly aligned with YCP’s existing capabilities and growth strategy, creating a significant opportunity to further strengthen our presence in this geopolitically important region. We look forward to working closely with the Acuvon team to build on this opportunity together.”
‘The right timing’
The deal comes at a challenging time for the Middle East, which is navigating a period of significant geopolitical uncertainty. As a result, the consulting industry is facing some slowdown, while deal activity across the region’s consulting sector has also moderated as firms take a more cautious approach amid the uncertain outlook.
Ishida acknowledged that the environment played a role in the firm’s considerations, but added that the long-term prospects remain strong and that moving forward with Acuvon now was the right way forward: “We have closely monitored the evolving geopolitical environment and its potential short-term impact on business activity, and have been deliberate about the timing of this investment. We believe we have reached the right moment to invest in Acuvon, balancing near-term uncertainties with the region’s significant long-term growth opportunity.”
Joining of forces
The investment brings together Acuvon’s regional market expertise and capabilities with YCP’s existing footprint in the Middle East, which has previously been bolstered through the addition of Renoir Consulting’s team in the region.
For Acuvon, the investment and access to YCP’s broader network will expand the range of services it can offer clients and create new opportunities for growth across the Middle East and Asia.
“Over the past several years, Acuvon has built a strong business in the Middle East, with deep relationships in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and a delivery model that combines local market understanding with the capabilities of our India team. This investment by YCP marks an important next step in our growth journey,” said Sandeep Uppal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Acuvon.
“YCP’s scale, regional presence, and breadth of capabilities provide an excellent platform for Acuvon to build on what we have created, while giving our clients and people access to a broader network and greater opportunities. We look forward to working closely with YCP to accelerate our growth and create greater value for our clients,” he added.
YCP’s deal footprint
The deal in the region continues YCP’s path of inorganic expansion, complementing the firm’s organic growth strategy of launching new offices. Previous acquisitions include Shenkuo in China (2024), Consus in India (2023), Auctus Advisors in India (2022), and Solidiance in Asia (2018).
