A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE WORLD OF STRATEGY AND ORGANISATION CONSULTANCY Founded in 1980 by Roland Fitoussi and 10 experienced consultants, Solving International is a consultancy firm specialised in strategy and organisation. From the outset it started developing an original form of expertise aiming above all at improving the position of its customers in relation to the competition. In the international strategy consultancy market (estimated at 15 billion euros), Solving International stands out quite clearly from the competition owing to its devotion to implementing and following up on its recommendations, assessing the results obtained after the assignments. It is among the world's top 20 firms in the area of corporate strategy consultancy. With 400 high-level consultants in the group (including minority subsidiaries) of a very high operational level, and a worldwide network of 1,000 experts employing methods focused on efficiency and performance, Solving International provides assistance to more than 30% of Europe’s 200 largest companies. Solving's business extends across three main areas : UNIQUE POSITIONING : COLLABORATIVE CONSULTING APPROACH In the 1980s, Solving International initially concentrated on consumer product and distribution markets. From the beginning, the firm differentiated itself from competitive consultancy firms by working within the client's existing culture to strengthen overall results. The firm later diversified by acquiring a global network of subject-matter specialists in industries including banking, automotive, telecom-munications, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and insurance. Solving International provides pragmatic and strategic solutions, and implements in a client-collaborative manner. Assignments may last from 6 months to 2 years. As one of the leading European management consulting firms, Solving International is known for devoting 80% of its time on engagements to implementing solutions. Solving International's headquarters are located in Paris. The firm has a strong presence in Europe, the United States, South America and Japan, with eighteen offices and subsidiaries: Atlanta, Barcelona, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Eindhoven, Gothenburg, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, Shanghaï, Sao Paulo, Stockholm and Tokyo. A full 70% of sales are currently generated by subsidiaries. Solving International recently acquired the British firm, EFESO Consulting, a consulting company specialised in world class operations management. This follows the acquisition of Appleton Thorn in the UK and Meritus in the USA, both finalised in 2000.