High Growth Success Stories: Lysander Associates
Maisie Tildesley
Apr 25, 2022
High Growth Success Stories
Rapport3 Client Lysander Associates:
In 2021 our client Lysander Associates implemented Rapport3 to support their business expansion programme as they launched new offices in both the UK and Europe. Since the adoption of Rapport3 in April 2021 into the business, the team has almost doubled in size and now employs 100 people in 11 offices across 6 countries.
Lysander is a privately owned multi-disciplinary construction consultancy working with an extensive and varied list of clients across the Industrial, Commercial, Data Centre and Residential sectors. Their team comprises Project Managers, Cost Consultants, Chartered Surveyors and Engineers that are focused on maximising opportunities and efficiencies for their clients throughout the property lifecycle from pre-acquisition, construction, refurbishment and fit-out through to hand over, sale or redevelopment.
Our marketing team spoke with Joint Managing Director, Richard May about Lysander’s impressive growth.
What prompted your expansion into Europe?
In the UK, Lysander has steadily grown its footprint to include offices in central London, Godalming, Northampton and Newcastle. Since launching in 2001, Lysander has grown an enviable portfolio of clients and projects across the UK, Ireland, EMEA and Asia. Client relationships have strengthened as we have grown, and it made sense to invest in the long-term potential of our existing and future relationships. The wider European expansion was a natural next step to support them.
"There continues to be significant demand for experienced, commercially astute technical advisors across the industrial and logistics sectors and we’ve already seen the positive impact that investing in the German market has made since our initial launch there in 2020. We’re delighted to have expanded our European presence with some of the very best, most experienced leaders from across the fields of project and cost management."
How has Lysander seen growth over COVID-19?
In direct contrast to other sectors, the global logistics industry had to react quickly to the opportunities and challenges presented by COVID-19. With shops closed, consumers turned to the internet to make their purchases. "Our clients had to fast track their growth and development strategies, with many expanding to round the clock operations and making significant investments in e-commerce, people and assets to cope with the demand."
"Demand for logistics space has continued into 2022, however, it is not without its challenges with demand for land high and rising construction costs having a significant impact on the sector. The way that some of our clients’ work is changing, particularly in the automotive sector which has responded to the ‘just in time’ ordering in Europe by procuring materials earlier and storing components. While the global pandemic has had a massive impact on lives and the economy, we are fortunate to operate in a sector that is thriving. Our experience and calibre of staff has allowed us to respond to these challenges and continue to support our clients."
Why did you decide Germany was the best country to first expand into?
The decision to enter the German market followed extensive research and discussion with clients and contacts already operating in Germany. "Our research told us that we needed local people and we spent a lot of time recruiting the right people to lead the German business. The team has now grown into a multinational team which employs people from all over the world."
"The German market is very different to the UK, Germany has a very traditional approach to contracts and fixed processes, with architects tending to take on some of the project and cost management roles. There are also cultural barriers including employment and payment law being very different. We are constantly learning, whilst being mindful of not imposing UK ways of working on German working methods. We work together to find the most appropriate solutions and put the right people in the right places, which helps to lessen the cultural barriers. Expanding into Germany surpassed our expectations, and we now employ 26 people."
Following your success in Germany, what factors did you base further expansion into Europe on?
"Our continued expansion into Europe was again in response to the requirements of our clients who were taking an increased interest in central and western European regions. It was therefore essential that we had a presence in these countries to service them and support their business growth."
Could you talk a little bit about the strategy behind the expansion?
"We work collaboratively across the business to ensure we deliver a seamless service to our clients. Each of the directors has the responsibility for their respective regions with an emphasis on sharing knowledge and expertise between them. We launched the Lysander Academy in 2021 as a forum for sharing information and ensuring the continued professional development of our staff. This has allowed us to provide a consistent service on projects across all regions. Clients particularly appreciate the consistency in our approach and understanding of their business and products, regardless of region."
How has Rapport3 helped manage billing, across projects, services, and offices?
"We use Rapport3 across the whole business. We adopted a phased approach to our rollout, so that the team could get to grips with each element before moving on to the next. We have been using the system for nearly a year now and are still discovering and implementing new functionality. We have had to work with Cubic to develop some of the functionalities further and be more specific to our business."
"One of the biggest benefits for the Senior Management Team is the accuracy and transparency that Rapport3 provides in our fee proposals and resourcing. Entering data only once ensures the information is up to date and results in improved efficiencies. Rapport3 has given us a great insight into our business, teams and easy reporting."
"Rapport3 is particularly useful in helping us to manage multi-country projects which draw on team members from across the business. The system provides visibility of resourcing in each country and allows us to distribute the fee across the business."
"The data that Rapport3 gives us is invaluable. We have greater visibility across all of our key performance indicators and can plan and react accordingly. We use Rapport3 modules for both our projects and people and having the information in one place is hugely beneficial."
What role does Rappport3 have in supporting your growth strategy, and business agility?
Rapport3 has allowed us to be very agile. We have the information we need at our fingertips and can respond to changes in the market quickly. There is a consistency of approach across the whole business, and we can now assimilate how each business is working and respond accordingly.
How do you think Rapport3 as a cloud-based solution will help with the expansion over Europe?
"We cannot do what we do without Rapport3. We work on complex and lengthy projects and planning the correct levels of resource and fees for these projects is very important. Rapport3 allows us to make sure we have the right people allocated to each phase of projects, to ensure it is on track and most importantly that we meet our client requirements. With Rapport3 we can now start planning early on which is key to our future growth."
"Rapport3 being cloud-based is useful, especially now that the travel restrictions are lifting, and we can keep track of the business wherever we are."
"Power BI has also been a great tool to help us assess the trajectory for our business as it provides a dashboard of key information for the Senior Management Team. This ensures we have the most up to date information readily available and can make informed decisions."
"Rapport3 has been a great investment for us, and the benefits are innumerable. The support that the customer experience team provides is invaluable and we are excited to see what the future holds in terms of new functionality and to help shape this."
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