Leadership consultancy OCG today announced its acquisition of The Thinking Partnership.  Setting itself apart from the traditional, assessment-driven culture associated with the executive and leadership development industry, OCG has spent the last 16 years focusing on character analysis and development.  Its clients include Virgin Media, asset manager, BlackRock and communication technology provider, the Damovo Group.

The consultancy will now be known as The Thinking Partnership.  The company will continue to place character at the heart of its assessment and development work, while adapting its services to operate on a global scale, with plans for expansion into Europe and Latin America.

The Thinking Partnership combines proprietary benchmarking technology, data analysis, coaching techniques and leadership development in its work with individual clients and management teams.  The consultancy's goal is to help clients understand how to get the best out of their senior managers and to develop a leadership culture, which ultimately drives performance and profitability within their organisations.

"I have worked with OCG for many years and quite simply put they are a cut above the rest.  Their character-driven leadership approach not only provides unique learning for the individual, but by aligning outputs and opportunities to the demands of the business it creates real value-add commercial edge," said Elisa Nardi, Chief People Officer, Virgin Media.  "We look forward to working with The Thinking Partnership and benefiting from its added experience, strategic vision and new direction."

Philippa Dickenson joins the OCG team of directors and will drive the new business development strategy for the company.  She brings 15 years of experience in leadership consulting, and previously worked as a senior consultant at McKinsey & Co. and as a project engineer at Mars.  "I am excited to be joining such a strong and reputable team and helping the new organisation to shape the industry," said Philippa.

"We understand that effective leadership is closely tied to the success of a business," said Graham Lee, managing director of The Thinking Partnership.  "As a company we are committed to creating leadership value within our clients' organisations through character development, harnessing the core strengths of leaders.  This exciting change is aimed at growing both our business and our client offering."

About The Thinking Partnership
The Thinking Partnership is a leadership consultancy aimed at helping businesses to create value through the way they lead their people.  Its reliable, distinctive approach is founded on its unique Character Strengths and Intelligences Framework.  The framework underpins their work, whether it is through assessing individuals for leadership roles, helping leaders to harness their character strengths, or helping senior teams build a leadership culture within their organisation.

Originally founded in 1993 as the Oxford Consulting Group by Arabella Ellis and Mark Loftus, The Thinking Partnership is grounded in a mix of commercial application and psychological depth.  The management team now includes managing director, Graham Lee; and directors Philippa Dickenson, Arabella and Mark.  The Thinking Partnership works with a range of clients including FTSE100 companies in the UK, Europe and the Americas.  Its clients span a variety of sectors such as telecoms, manufacturing, legal, food & drink, financial services and the public and not-for-profit sectors.