Consulta Research relaunches with new service offerings
Independent market research firm – Consulta Research – has relaunched as Consulta (Pty) Ltd. Key to this relaunch is the organisation’s new, expanded service offerings, that will focus on business strategy and analytics to complement its existing suite of market-leading research insights products.
Consulta has also announced that the prominent business leader – Bonang Mohale’s family trust (Serialong Trust) has acquired the majority shareholding, owning 60% of the company, increasing its initial 16% shareholding purchased in 2008.
The new shareholding qualifies Consulta as a black owned company and gives Consulta a B-BBEE Level 3 rating in terms of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment framework. The Level 3 B-BBEE rating will afford a B-BBEE procurement recognition level of 125% to customers. The remaining 40% of Consulta is still owned by the founder and CEO, Prof Adré Schreuder’s family trust (Schadré Trust).
Consulta’s flagship research product is the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi), an authoritative survey benchmarking customer service and satisfaction across competing Brands in various industries, including banking, medical aids, restaurants, airlines, mobile service providers, insurance and others. The demand for a more comprehensive range of products and services required by clients led to the company expanding its service offering.
“Our team of experienced consultants can now offer support across company strategy, customer centricity, advanced data analytics, managing data technologies, and managing customer and employee communities,” says Prof Adré Schreuder, CEO of Consulta. “Today’s announcement is a leap in transformation – both in our ownership structure, and the range of services we offer to the private and public sectors.”
The Serialong Trust is led by Bonang Mohale, currently chairperson of Shell South Africa, who fulfils a non-executive directorship in Consulta, although he has been extensively involved in the company’s strategy and board since 2008. Mohale, who has served on the board of the Black Management Forum for over 20 years, envisions a greater nation-building function for Consulta. Whenever the company sees that the public sector can benefit from its services, it will proactively submit relevant proposals.
“I am looking forward to this new chapter in Consulta’s history, and I believe that we can make a significant contribution to South Africa’s public and private sectors by sharing insights gained from academically rigorous research,” Mohale explains. “In an era where news is increasingly manufactured, Consulta is able to offer analytical insights into trends and sentiments in the local market.
Consulta has grown its reputation as one the leading customer experience consulting and market research firms in South Africa, with a staff complement 80 full time employees supported by part-time consultants/researchers. The company, founded in 1998 by Professor Adré Schreuder in partnership with the University of Pretoria, hosted a launch event for its revitalised business at its new offices in Centurion.