New corporate advisory firm Whitebeam Strategy will specialise in education, skills, and technology

Matthew Dixon and James Croft join forces to establish new consultancy firm 

Matthew Dixon, previously Principal at international strategy consultancy Cairneagle Associates, and James Croft, Founder / Director of the Centre for Education Economics (@CfEdnEcon) think tank and a former Editor of Investor Publishing’s EducationInvestor Global magazine (@EduInvestor), have joined forces to establish a new corporate advisory firm, Whitebeam Strategy.

Whitebeam Strategy will specialise in education, skills, and technology, with a focus on supporting institutions, businesses and investors with strategy and technology development, M&A-related consultancy, and data analytics.

Speaking of the initiative, Managing Director Matthew Dixon acknowledged that the advisory market included some tough competition, but said that the two wanted to bring new energy and perspective to strategy formation and development:

“We envisage a firm fired by imagination – creative in problem-solving and in its search for optimal solutions – but one that is also disciplined, data-led and process-driven in its approach to target identification, market and opportunity analysis, and digital transformation.”

Dixon comes to Whitebeam Strategy as an experienced advisor with deep technical and industry knowledge, principally on strategy, M&A and analytics, across the technology, education, and financial services sectors.

He is supported by James Croft, Whitebeam’s Director of Business Development. An experienced education entrepreneur and independent consultant, Croft brings to Whitebeam a wide strategic and operational skill-set, with particular strength in business development and stakeholder engagement.

Commenting on the development, Croft said, ‘We want to bring a fresh approach to consulting. Deep sector knowledge, imagination and rigour should be expected. It’s our confident pledge to bring these values to every client and every project.’