Cambridge Consultants - History

History

Founded in 1960 by two Cambridge graduates – Tim Eiloart and David Southward – to "put the brains of Cambridge University at disposal of the problems of British industry", Cambridge Consultants was one of the UK's first technology transfer businesses. Their early work laid the foundations for what is now known as the Cambridge Phenomenon or Silicon Fen. Indeed, many of the high-tech companies in and around the city of Cambridge can trace their roots back to Cambridge Consultants. Inspired by the service and business model of CCL several engineering and innovation companies like Technology partnership (www.ttp.com), Verhaert Masters in Innovation (www.verhaert.com), Sentec Limited (www.sentec.co.uk) and Sagentia (www.sagentia.com) came to life.

Initially, the company was privately run. However, in January 1972, it became part of Arthur D. Little, the large American management consultancy, gaining professional management support and access to international markets. Cambridge Consultants remained part of Arthur D. Little until 2001. In 2002 the management team at Cambridge Consultants acquired the company, backed by Altran, Europe’s largest technology consultancy.

Despite the early difficulties witnessed by many technology companies at the turn of the millennium, Cambridge Consultants has continued to grow since 2000, and now has a reputation as one of the world’s most innovative product development companies.