Deloitte strengthens Asia Pacific data analytics capability

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 November 2017 — In response to the rapid growth in demand for data analytics across the Asia Pacific region, Deloitte has joined forces with leading specialists in big data and analytics solutions, Cameron Price and Gerard Skybey, and their 39 strong team located in Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne.

Prior to joining Deloitte, Gerard and Cameron were the Asia Pacific leaders of respected consulting firm, CBIG Consulting, and operated across Asia including in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. Their capabilities in Big Data and Advanced Analytics were synergistic with Deloitte service offerings and opportunities across the region, creating a strong value proposition to work together.

Cameron and Gerard will join Deloitte as partners, in Sydney and Singapore respectively. A team of 39 will also join Deloitte’s Analytics and Information Management teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore. The transaction will further extend Deloitte’s market leading data capabilities in Asia Pacific.

IDC estimates the market for Big Data and Business Analytics in Asia Pacific (excluding Japan)*, to be worth US$13.6bn in 2017, with an expected CAGR of around 14.4% through to 2020 (one of the fastest growing regions in the world).

Yoichiro Ogawa, Asia Pacific Regional Managing Director for Deloitte, said: “Our Asia Pacific clients are investing heavily in solutions and platforms that collect and analyse data in real time. They understand the imperative to become insight driven organisations, as they look to maximise business opportunities across the region.”

Cindy Hook, CEO of Deloitte Australia, said: “Joining forces with Cameron, Gerard and their team extends our market leading capabilities in big data, and enhances our identified strategic priorities to build-out advanced analytics and intelligent automation capabilities.”

Philip Yuen, CEO of Deloitte Southeast Asia, said: “Data analytics solutions are important components in all of our service offerings. This transaction enhances our capabilities with the next generation of data analytics tools that will provide businesses in Southeast Asia with a step-change in how they grow and optimise in a diverse and rapidly emerging marketplace.”

Tim Nugent, Asia Pacific leader for Analytics & Information Management, said: “The timing of this transaction reflects the opportunity we see in both big data and analytics, and in the fastest growing region on the planet. In a newly connected world, the convergence of data and connectivity provides enormous opportunities. It underpins the way businesses operate and is at the centre of what drives competitive advantage today.”

Cameron Price, CBIG’s former APAC Managing Director, is excited about his team joining Deloitte: “As well as improving career growth opportunities for our staff, joining Deloitte accelerates our ability to scale across the region. The combination of the Deloitte brand with our analytics and information management capabilities is expected to be highly synergistic in the way we service clients and attract talent.

“As awareness increases of the potential for data-driven insights to create competitive advantage, there is a growing shortfall between an organisation’s aspirations for the automated collection and analysis of big data and what traditional platform solutions are able to support.”

Gerard Skybey, CBIG’s former APAC Director, adds: “We are increasingly seeing clients considering how best to invest in modern, ‘next gen’ tools and platforms, and in data assets themselves, which can allow them to unlock insights and successfully pursue data-driven strategies.”

Why is ‘next gen’ data analytics increasingly important to business?

Efficient analysis of data helps companies to improve their processes; to grow, streamline and protect their business. Business Intelligence and Data Analytics has been very structured over the past 30 years. Today, there are various converging ‘next gen’ technologies which are transforming organisations: Cloud, Analytics, the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data all support data streaming and real time analytics.

Deloitte specialises in helping innovative businesses use data and analytics to:

• Generate customer insights, connect customers to specific products and services, dynamic targeting and individual personalisation
• Enable real-time and/or automated decision-making that can deliver a step-change in operating efficiency or cost-base optimisation
• Assess visibility of threats to improve responses to both aggressive cyber actors and intensive regulatory change
• Use machine learning to identify patterns of behaviours and improve elements of the supply chain.

“Our clients are clear on the need to operate in ‘real time’ to maximise these opportunities in the way they look to grow, improve & protect their businesses,” said Stuart Scotis, Analytics & Information Management Executive Director in Southeast Asia. “Managing information at speed and scale underpins this.

“Operations across such a diverse region are complex, but benefit significantly from next gen data platforms that support taking insights to action and ultimately automation.”

Terms of the transaction are strictly confidential.

* IDC’s Worldwide Semiannual Big Data and Analytics Spending Guide, March 2017