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PA Consulting history
PA Consulting company history timeline
PA was founded in 1943 as Personnel Administration by Ernest E. Butten, Tom H. Kirkham and Dr David Seymour.
In 1947, she recorded the world’s first computer bug.
1958 PA launches computers and telecoms business
1967 Developing advanced computer systems
1970 First self-service car parking system
PA expanded over the next 20 years, and by 1970 it was the world’s largest management consulting firms by headcount.
PA Consulting Group first demonstrated this technology as a bicycle wheel motor that racing driver Graham Hill drove around our car park in 1975.
1975 World’s first private digital telephone exchange
1975 Duke of Edinburgh opens PA's Cambridge Technology Centre
1975 PA’s Global Innovation and Technology Centre wins design awards
1978 Micrometer wins major design awards
When the payphone was launched in 1979, it established Plessey as the world's leading manufacturer of 'intelligent' payphones.
1980 Bosch Servodyn – original brushless servo motor
1982 One of the first speech recognition systems
1983 A world’s first in point-of-sale paint blenders
1984 First hand-held portable tonometer
1985 Applying moth eye research to the development of recordable CDs
The instrument proved a successful product for Moore & Wright in subsequent years, selling 2500 instruments in 1986 and providing a business of around £1m per annum.
1990 Designing inhalers to monitor patient compliance
1994 Easi-Breathe – the first breath-actuated Meter Dose Inhaler (MDI)
1994 Innovative packaging for drinks market.
With a new strategy, aggressive cost-cutting and an industry upturn, the turnaround succeeded and, in 1995, PA made record profits.
Jeremy Asher became group CEO in 1998 and, during his three-year tenure, PA grew from about 2,500 staff to just under 4,000.
1999 First demonstration of ‘next generation’ 3G technology
In 1999 PA Consulting Group founded UbiNetics, a company which became a world leader in 3G test and measurement products.
The unique design was pre-launched on target to the French retail trade in early 2000, as a result of which demand for Evian’s product tripled.
The firm expanded significantly in the United States through the acquisition of Hagler Bailly Inc. in 2000 for around $96 million in cash.
PA Consulting Group formed Meridica in May 2001 and it achieved excellence in the area of drug delivery.
2001 Meridica - innovative drug delivery venture
2001 Creating a new unique bottle design for Evian
With PA's help, the Female Health Company was able to establish a world class 35,000 sq ft clean manufacturing facility on a greenfield site and achieve the launch of the female condom in Europe and the US. The Female Health Company won the 2002 Queen's Award for Enterprise
2003 Automating high-throughput inhaler testing for AstraZeneca
An extract from the published conclusions of the phase one study said: "…successful in over 90% of patients with previous failure of complete colonoscopy." 2004 Introducing new technology for London’s bus network
In May 2005 the Test and Measurement division of UbiNetics was sold to Aeroflex Incorporated for $84.5MM and in July 2005 PA agreed to sell the other half of the venture – Volume Product Technology – to CSR Plc for $48MM.
By 2005, the company was ranked 8th in the Sunday Times' list of Britain's biggest mid-market private firms.
2006 Development of a novel colonoscope
2007 Developing an Innovative cardiovascular diagnostic system
2008 Manufacturing Advisory Service for the North East of England
2009 Developing test equipment for fourth generation (4G) mobile networks
2010 Product development: new processes for a new world
2010 PA Testing iPhone4's antenna performance
Government figures released in 2010 showed that PA was the second largest beneficiary of UK Government contracts to consulting firms, receiving £11million over the first year of the coalition.
2011 Inhaler of the future
2011 Developing an innovative smart metering product
2012 Realising the value of emerging technology start-ups
2012 Technology Growth Report: How to unlock sustainable growth in the UK
Winner of innovation category and top award for best overall project at the 2012 Management Consultancies Association (MCA) awards.
On 31 December 2013, Jon Moynihan retired as executive chairman, and was replaced by Marcus Agius, the former chairman of Barclays Bank.
2013 Revolutionary new Ora kitchen towel: from concept to shelf in less than 12 months
In March 2014 the company launched a new logo (the third in its history), a new visual identity and redesigned website.
In 2015, The Carlyle Group bought a majority stake in the company, giving it a value of USD 1 billion.
In October 2017, PA started acting on its plans for rapid expansion by relocating its global corporate headquarters.
Then, in December 2017, the firm acquired Nyras, a UK-based international aviation consultancy.
In April 2018, PA's Chairman, Marcus Agius, announced he would step down and assume the role of Deputy Chairman, with John Alexander replacing him.
By October 2018, the consultancy expanded its acquisitions into the United States, acquiring innovation strategy and product design business Essential Design.
Then, in June 2019, PA looked again to the US and acquired 4iNNo, an innovation company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The group announced Ken Toombs as CEO in October 2020, following on from Alan Middleton who stepped down after 13 years as CEO of the consultancy.
Most recently, in November 2020, PA acquired San Francisco- and Boston- based Cooper Perkins, a technology development and engineering company.
Galileo will therefore offer European companies opportunities in a growing sector with an annual market estimated to be over EUR 200 billion in 2020 with three billion receivers in service.
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PA Consulting competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deloitte | 1845 | $50.2B | 334,800 | 24,723 |
| Boston Consulting Group | 1963 | $7.5B | 22,000 | 200 |
| Atkins | 1938 | $2.7B | 18,300 | 48 |
| Accenture | 1989 | $64.9B | 674,000 | 10,905 |
| Cambridge Consultants | 1960 | $102.6M | 901 | - |
| Arup | 1946 | $2.0B | 15,608 | 366 |
| Capco | 1998 | $59.3M | 6,501 | 92 |
| CGN Global | 1995 | $14.0M | 245 | - |
| RGP | 1996 | $632.8M | 3,753 | 59 |
| Management system International | 1981 | $138.8M | 200 | - |
PA Consulting history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of PA Consulting, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about PA Consulting. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at PA Consulting. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by PA Consulting. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of PA Consulting and its employees or that of Zippia.
PA Consulting may also be known as or be related to PA Consulting, PA Consulting Group, PA Consulting Group AB, PA Consulting Holdings Limited, Personnel Administration and Tas Consulting Group Inc.