EUConsult Information Service
2007 February
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Member Profiles
Jacob Mayne, VERNISSAGE Ltd
Position: Director
Company: VERNISSAGE Ltd
E-mail: vernissage(at)wanadoo.fr
FACT FILE | |
Main business areas: Organisational Strategy and Change Management | Date business started: |
Number of consultancy staff: 1 (plus associates from consulting network) | Countries of operation: France, UK, and other European countries, as well as the Asia Pacific region |
THE BUSINESS
What range of clients do you serve?
Essentially I advise national and local government service providers, cultural sector organisations and executive education clients in the private sector.
How has your business evolved since it was started?
VERNISSAGE grew out of a project management consultancy business developing commercial activities for museums in Australia, Japan and France, and has evolved in the direction of consultancy in change management and organisational strategy. This came about through a number of studies and change projects which VERNISSAGE worked on for the Ministry of Culture in France, as well as teaching and mentoring projects carried out in collaboration with the HEC Paris business school.
Where will your consultancy be in a few years time?
I would like to see VERNISSAGE as one of a cooperative European network of small but influential consultancies engaged in helping non-profit, cultural and public administration clients deal with the challenges of the human face of change.
Which opportunities and threats do you see for your work in the sector and for the development of NPOs?
The opportunities I see are related to the idea of networking. Clients are nowadays much more comfortable with the idea of plurality – they no longer feel they need to have all the answers to everything. This means that consultancy businesses can be successful if they tap into the resources and expertise available in other countries and fields. If businesses are able to climb over their own walls and reach the resources available internationally, there will be many opportunities for them. This means that small networking companies can have big ambitions – you don’t have to be a McKinsey to have global reach.
However, the threats that I see are exactly the other side of the same coin. Organisations that are already major global players have the resources in place to compete very effectively on the global stage, so the threat is that your niche will get wiped out through consolidation of the major players.
Can you recommend any sources of information that you find useful in your business (websites, books, publications):
A book that I would recommend to all interested in emergent trends is “The World is Flat” by Thomas J Friedman (Penguin, new edition 2006).
EUCONSULT MEMBERSHIP
Why did you join EUConsult?
I took the decision to join in order to further VERNISSAGE’s strategy of networking with organisations working in similar fields, especially culture and heritage.
Which aspects of membership do you particularly value?
An important part of membership is the sharing of knowledge with colleagues from other fields and countries. There is great potential here for generating client value. I have been able to run ideas and issues for projects past EUConsult members, who have come up with some good advice and interesting ideas. This has definitely added value to my work with clients. From my point of view, a particularly exciting opportunity for VERNISSAGE is participation in EUConsult’s Cultural and Heritage Group. This could certainly develop, offering interesting collaborations and eventually gaining more weight as a think tank on a European scale.
BACKGROUND INFO
Where and what did you study?
I studied Latin, Greek and Philosophy at Oxford – the perfect preparation for a twenty-year career in margarine and teabags at Unilever! Later on I studied Baroque music at the Guildhall, London and have more recently taken a Masters in Organisational and Change Management at Oxford and HEC.
How did you first get involved in NPO consultancy?
My involvement in not-for-profit consultancy came about through a number of museum projects. After many years at Unilever, I moved on to become the Chief Executive of an international art company. In this role I was working for the Australian government and involved in the sponsorship and financing of cultural projects. When I returned to Europe I worked with RMN in France on developing the commercial side of their iinternational cultural projects. I could see that there was a clear and evident need for better management and organisation within the non-profit sector, so I decided to establish my own consultancy in this area, hoping to add some value to the sector from my previous international business experience.
What interests you most about staying in the field?
It is still very motivating to see good management practices adopted – however tentatively - by people doing good things in the field of culture.
What do you do to relax and forget your consultancy work?
I like to go rowing on the river Marne (if you row far enough you can reach Reims) and I also like to climb hills (and mountains when I can get them).
