Catalysis Advisory
Catalysis Advisory is a UK-based specialist consultancy that helps private equity investors and mid-market growth companies assess and improve management teams, executive talent, and organizational effectiveness, primarily via management due diligence and executive assessment services. Founded in 2010 by Mike Hicks, it operates as a founder-owned boutique firm.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Catalysis Advisory does
Catalysis Advisory Ltd. is a UK-based specialist consultancy, founded in 2010 by Mike Hicks (formerly of Grant Thornton) and headquartered in London. The firm helps private equity investors and ambitious mid-market growth companies navigate the transition from entrepreneurial venture to scaled-up business, focusing on team and organisational effectiveness, executive talent, and management quality. Its core services fall into three lines: (1) Team and Organisational Strategy, including management due diligence (MDD), mid-way and pre-exit reviews, and clarification workshops; (2) Executive Talent Optimisation, spanning role specification, pre-selection and high-stakes assessment, referencing, and Assessment Plus; and (3) Partnership with Private Equity, supporting PE houses with investor skills, portfolio events, and pipeline development. Project delivery combines senior practitioner experience with a proprietary framework built on bespoke questionnaires and Saville Assessment's Wave psychometric tool (covering 108 personality dimensions), with a growing empirical dataset of CEO and Financial Director profiles correlated to investment outcomes.
The firm's business model is professional services, with project-based, undisclosed pricing driven by direct engagement and referrals within the UK mid-market PE ecosystem. Catalysis has completed more than 450 firm projects (and Mike Hicks alone has logged over 735) since founding, including approximately 200 MDD transactions and 44 transactions since the start of 2020, with over 90% of work involving mid-market PE. It is privately held, founder-owned, with no external funding, and operates with a core team of roughly 11, supplemented by a wider network of specialist advisers (former PE operating partners, chartered psychologists, and sector executives). It holds no patents, runs no software product, and earns all revenue from consulting engagements; supporting assets such as the 'Unlocking Potential' newsletter, Catalysis Handbooks, a video library, and periodic research publications (e.g., a 50-firm/94-investor survey attributing 67% of returns to management quality) function as marketing and brand-building channels rather than standalone revenue streams.
Catalysis Advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catalysis Advisory
- Legal name
- Catalysis Advisory Ltd.
- Website
- https://catalysis-advisory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Catalysis Advisory is a UK-based specialist consultancy that helps private equity investors and mid-market growth companies assess and improve management teams, executive talent, and organizational effectiveness, primarily via management due diligence and executive assessment services. Founded in 2010 by Mike Hicks, it operates as a founder-owned boutique firm.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Catalysis Advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)
Keywords
Where Catalysis Advisory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Catalysis Advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Management Due Diligence Services: Pre-deal, mid-way, and pre-exit reviews for private equity investors assessing management team capability and organizational readiness.
- Executive Talent Optimization: Services including role specification, pre-selection and assessment, high stakes assessment, referencing, and assessment plus for senior appointments.
- Team and Organizational Strategy Consulting: Advisory work helping companies create pragmatic roadmaps for growth and organizational effectiveness.
- PE House Development Advisory: Supporting the development of private equity houses and building investor skills on team, organizational and governance issues.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Catalysis Advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catalysis Advisory is a specialist consultancy that helps private equity investors and mid-market growth companies navigate the growth transition by assessing and improving management teams and organisational effectiveness. Its core services include management due diligence (pre-deal, mid-way, pre-exit reviews), executive talent optimisation (role specification, psychometric assessment, referencing), team and organisational strategy work, and PE house development advisory, supported by Saville Wave psychometric assessments and proprietary performance databases.
Product overview
Catalysis Advisory is a specialist advisory firm providing consulting services rather than a software product. The core offering consists of team and organisational strategy advisory services, executive talent optimisation, and private equity partnership services. These are delivered alongside research publications, assessment tools, and newsletters. The services include management due diligence (MDD), psychometric assessments using Saville's Wave tool, role specification tools, team questionnaires, and a post-deal assessment framework. The portfolio also includes Catalysis Handbooks, the Unlocking Potential newsletter, and periodic research reports on management quality in private equity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Team and Organisational Strategy Advisory service helping investors and management teams understand the ability of a team and organisation to deliver a growth plan, including pre-deal review (MDD), mid-way review, and pre-exit review services, plus clarification workshops.
- Executive Talent Optimisation Service supporting investors and boards to re-frame, re-focus and re-energise their organisations, including role specification, pre-selection and light touch assessment, high stakes assessment, referencing, and Assessment Plus.
- Partnership with Private Equity Advisory services for PE investors including building investor skills on team, organisational and governance issues, supporting investee portfolio events, advisory projects for PE house development, and pipeline support.
- Catalysis Handbooks Physical and digital handbooks providing thought leadership on team and organisational effectiveness for mid-market investors, sold through the Catalysis online store.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35% of deals generate unexpected management issues (up from 25% two decades ago)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Catalysis Advisory
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Catalysis Advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Catalysis Advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NeotascoreNeotas provides tech-enabled background check services used by Catalysis to conduct thorough due diligence on executive candidates. Catalysis uses Neotas for approximately half of all difficult and dangerous case assessments. The partnership provides comprehensive digital footprint analysis to identify potential risks in executive candidates.
- Saville AssessmentcoreCatalysis uses Saville Assessment's Wave psychometric tool which assesses 108 distinct personality dimensions. This tool is used to correlate personality profiles with CEO and FD performance ratings, forming the basis of Catalysis' research on high-performing executives in the UK mid-market.
- Saïd Business School, Oxford UniversityminorCaroline Gourlay, a Catalysis team member, has coached on leadership programmes at Saïd Business School, Oxford University.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Catalysis Advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Closely comparable to Catalysis in providing senior assessment, succession, and team effectiveness advisory, with overlapping service lines in CEO/board evaluation and PE portfolio work.
- Saxton Bampfylde: UK executive search firm specializing in board, CEO, and senior public-sector appointments. Comparable to Catalysis on UK focus and senior-level assessment work, with overlapping client segments in PE-backed and growth-stage companies.
- Norman Broadbent: UK-based executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated PE practice. Directly comparable to Catalysis on UK mid-market focus, PE client base, and senior executive assessment services.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong board and CEO practice. Comparable to Catalysis in providing senior-level assessment and organizational advisory, with significant overlap in serving PE investors and portfolio companies on talent decisions.
- Odgers Berndtson: UK-headquartered international executive search firm with a strong mid-market practice. Closely comparable to Catalysis on UK mid-market focus, PE client base, and senior-level assessment work, though broader in scope.
- SHL (Gartner): Global psychometric assessment provider now part of Gartner. Comparable to Catalysis as a competitor and adjacent supplier in the psychometric assessment market that underpins executive evaluation and selection.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a leadership advisory practice. Comparable to Catalysis in providing senior executive assessment, succession planning, and team effectiveness advisory, particularly to PE-backed and growth-stage companies.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Directly comparable to Catalysis in providing senior executive assessment, role specification, and leadership advisory to PE-backed companies, though at much larger scale and with broader international reach.
Emerging players
- Mountside Consulting: Boutique UK consultancy providing management due diligence and organizational advisory to PE investors. Closely comparable to Catalysis in scope and client base, though smaller and less established, representing the most similar emerging specialist competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Large global organizational consulting firm spanning executive search, talent management, and assessment. Comparable to Catalysis on the assessment and leadership advisory dimension but operates as a much broader, portfolio-style incumbent across all management tiers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Catalysis Advisory social profiles
Digital presenceCatalysis Advisory compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Catalysis Advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catalysis Advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Catalysis Advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catalysis Advisory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catalysis Advisory
What does Catalysis Advisory do?
Catalysis Advisory is a specialist consultancy that helps private equity investors and mid-market growth companies navigate the growth transition by assessing and improving management teams and organisational effectiveness. Its core services include management due diligence (pre-deal, mid-way, pre-exit reviews), executive talent optimisation (role specification, psychometric assessment, referencing), team and organisational strategy work, and PE house development advisory, supported by Saville Wave psychometric assessments and proprietary performance databases.
Is Catalysis Advisory a public or private company?
Catalysis Advisory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Catalysis Advisory founded?
Catalysis Advisory was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Catalysis Advisory based?
Catalysis Advisory is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Catalysis Advisory make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Management Due Diligence Services are the primary driver. The others are executive Talent Optimization, team and Organizational Strategy Consulting and PE House Development Advisory.
Who are Catalysis Advisory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Egon Zehnder, Saxton Bampfylde, Norman Broadbent, Spencer Stuart, Odgers Berndtson, SHL (Gartner), Russell Reynolds Associates and Heidrick & Struggles. Mountside Consulting is listed as an emerging player. Korn Ferry is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Catalysis Advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catalysis Advisory.
What industry is Catalysis Advisory in?
Catalysis Advisory's product category is Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAHAGAL, Performance Management & Productivity Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.