Profile: BPI Competing with the giants

In this sense at least, BPI, a Paris-based outplacement and human resources consulting company, does not fit the mould. But with turnover of nearly €80m ($88m) and an outplacement offering in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and, most recently, the UK, BPI is more than just a national outplacement provider.

Jean Ferre, finance director and head of corporate development, pulls no punches when it comes to BPI's international pretensions: "We are a leading, if not the leading, European operational consulting firm focused on HR issues."

International expansion began in the 1990s, but the company remains intrinsically French - 65% of its business is done in France. All its senior staff head for the beach during August, and BPI has a philosophical pretext for its activities. US competitors may talk about talent management, outplacement double whammies and strategic human resource management, but BPI's motto is: "Humanism is a source of efficiency."

Humanism has not prevented BPI from developing a novel business model. While rivals such as DBM and Lee Hecht Harrison have expanded in Europe through their own regional offices, BPI has opted for the less costly strategy of forming an umbrella company, the BPI Group, and inviting local outplacement providers to buy into it.

The most recent addition is Cedar International, the UK outplacement and human resources consultancy. From 10 UK offices, including one in the City of London, and one in the capital's West End, Cedar works with clients such as ABN Amro, Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch.

Earlier this year, the BPI Group took a 20% stake in Cedar International. In return, Cedar received a "minuscule" stake in BPI, links to offices across Europe and a place on the strategic management committee for Helen Pitcher, its chief executive.

Pitcher thinks this is a good deal. She says the link with BPI has already helped her to win contracts: "We get the best of both worlds. We remain independent, and we get the global coverage we need."

Outside Europe, BPI has links with a wider network, Outplacement International (OI) Partners, which represents 170 offices in 24 countries. Despite claiming to be "the world's largest career consulting partnership", OI bears similarities to Arbora, a rival network of global outplacement providers, with 160 offices in 30 countries.

Global coverage is a sensitive issue in the investment banking sector. Rüdiger Schäfer, managing partner of BPI Management und Personalberatung in Frankfurt, says the company is trying to increase the amount of business it does with investment banks. However, Schäfer says the sector is dominated by global providers such as DBM and Right Coutts (part of Right Management Consultants), as well as Mühlenhoff & Partner, the German branch of the Arbora network.

Schäfer says the German outplacement market is moving to a model in which banks employ their own outplacement consultants internally. In this climate, he says BPI's advantage comes from its ability to offer organisational consulting and coaching services as well as outplacement advice. "Our approach is not to go into the banking sector and say we can do outplacement a bit cheaper than everyone else. We say we are a global firm and we can work alongside internal HR people to manage the entire restructuring process."