Intimex Consulting: Sri Lanka's global success

Today, rules are being re-defined and most multinationals of the next era will be of Asian roots. Sri Lanka takes centre stage when a business built by a son of the nation is elected as knowledge partner of global majors.

Founder and CEO of Intimex Consulting Nibras Bawa, is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, business strategist, marketer and investment banker.

He is often seen as one of the key strategists of his generation. Barely 28 years, Bawa settled in Karachi. The globe trotting young person wanted to make money from the Karachi stock exchange at a time when it was performing well.

He was a marketer turned equity investor. Word of mouth gave Bawa many consulting assignments with Pakistani firms and it was time for to take a plunge into the bigger world of global consulting.

Bawas' longstanding Pakistani partner Shehla Adamjee, joined at this stage and Intimex was formed in 2006 with a BVI registration.

With a vote of confidence from its initial clients, Intimex found itself with access to global knowledge workers and global customers. It was a potentially powerful combination.

Bawa ran a targeted campaign centered around Intimex values and competencies. He managed to persuade senior executives of industry majors that a couple of unknowns mostly from the subcontinent could draw up strategies for their multi billion dollar ventures.

Intimex global footprint was drawn up based on global research and the fact based strategy lead to a focus on International Market Entry and Strategic Marketing solutions. These two well defined core areas were integrated into Intimex DNA and the consulting business revolved around one single most pertinent idea of internationalisation.

Unlike conventional, voluminous report-based consulting, Intimex creates value through strategic managing - linking strategy and execution and assists its clients in reliably crafting and implementing winning strategies by helping them move from strategic planning to strategic managing.

Intimex is a premium consulting brand with high end clients and top notch strategists with an unblemished character and track record. Intimex differentiates itself from mainstream consultancies with its bottom-line driven, numerate and highly analytical approach to problem solving with simple processes and documentation.

Its fast-track solutions are developed with high level of client involvement based on proven models such as Intimex 5D, with bias for implementation.

The holistic turnkey, research-based lean and effective decision-making with structured thinking, project planning and control using an International panel of Consultants with practical experience across a broad spectrum of industries and geographies gave Intimex an undisputed competitive edge.

Bawa focuses on enhancing Intimex's proposition to clients and talent by identifying and pursuing strategic opportunities and directs the organic build-out of new geographies and capabilities. Beyond his executive management roles he has personally managed over 50 client specific projects, across 12 countries since founding Intimex in 2006.

Author of several industry-shaping reports, he has been a frequent contributor to media and conferences.

The Harvard and Monash educated strategist, based on his extensive experience and research, conceptualised and developed several strategic planning models such as Intimex 5D model, Intimex brand value and equity enhancement model and Intimex Share value appreciation model.

He is currently a doctoral student on branding, and authoring two books on investment banking. All his emails are signed with a phrase adapted from Longfellow "Strive to leave footprints on the sands of time".

By transforming Intimex, Bawa laid to rest the myth that consultants had to be older and grey haired. In doing so he took on immense personal risk. A lucrative career with Lehman Brothers and the prospect of sphereheading family's established export business were all traded in for his passion for consulting.

Not only has he played a part in creating a new breed of strategists whose average age is less than what is accepted as the norm, he has also lead Intimex to success in less than two years.

From relatively humble beginnings, Intimex has grown dramatically since inception and currently employs 57 globiz strategists in six fully owned direct subsidiaries in Srilanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Dubai and Hong Kong.

It has worked on 52 clients specific projects in 12 countries with global majors like Apple, Caterpillar, Etisalat, Ranbaxy, Relliance, Emmar, HP, Lenovo, Canon, Nivea, Body shop, JS Group, Nishat Group, ARY Gold, Bestway, Schon Group, Sime Darby, YTL among others.

Today Intimex has 20 of the fortune 500 companies on its client roster. Despite transcending borders Intimex has managed to maintain a sincere and consistent feel to everything that it does.

This is why it has been able to break into many territories in the subcontinent and beyond. Intimex has mastered the challenges of ensuring a consistent sense of 'Intimex'. An IPO in India or Singapore is on the cards and Intimex plans to do it at the right time.

IPO is not for raising funds; rather it is a step in Intimex's evolution to become a global giant and a natural progression in its long journey ahead to transform lives around the globe.