For mid-sized consulting projects – often in the AUD 200,000 to $2 million range – business leaders face an uncomfortable choice: pay premium rates to Big Four consulting firms for teams heavy on junior talent and built-in overhead costs, or hire independent consultants and shoulder all the coordination and quality risk themselves.

Outsized Teams fills that gap

This month, Outsized launched Teams in Australia – a new model that gives organisations access to project delivery squads led by senior professionals who’ve done the work before, not just advised on it.

“We kept hearing the same frustration from clients,” says Sydney-based Sara Kahlau, Head of Outsized APAC. “They’d engage a prestigious consulting firm and get charged top-tier rates for teams dominated by junior consultants learning on the job. Teams solves this by providing consulting-grade project delivery through hand-picked squads of independent experts – each led by a dedicated Outsized Capability Lead who owns the project from scoping through to knowledge transfer and handover.”

Operators with consulting rigour

What sets Teams apart is the background of the consultants themselves. Each Capability Lead and team member combines extensive consulting experience with in-house execution roles.

The team includes leaders like David Pragasam, who brings strategy and transformation consulting from Accenture combined with six years implementing those programs in-house at Telstra. Dora Dasgupta combines consulting expertise from Deloitte and Asia Care Group with execution experience at AIA. Lara Husselbee has designed and delivered transformations at brands like Macquarie Group and IAG. Rebecca Reti brings experience from AMP, Bank of New Zealand, and NZ Post.

“It’s the combination clients actually need,” Kahlau explains. “Consulting methodology and rigour, paired with the pragmatism that comes from having to make things work in the real world.”

Real outcomes, at significant savings

Early results demonstrate the model’s effectiveness. A professional services firm engaged Teams for a five-week automation diagnostic, resulting in a board-ready business case with measurable margin enhancement opportunities. A major Australian bank used Teams to scale its acquiring and eCommerce capabilities through a six-week payments squad.

Pricing is typically 30-40% below traditional consulting firms, with fixed-scope agreements and one-to-three week mobilisation – significantly faster than traditional engagements.

Complementing strategic relationships

Teams isn’t designed to compete with Big Four or MBB relationships – it complements them.

“Swedish companies with Australian operations often have established consulting relationships for enterprise strategy,” says Kahlau. “Teams handles the work that doesn’t fit that model: fixed-scope implementation projects, specialist builds, urgent initiatives where speed matters and paying for pyramids of junior consultants doesn’t make sense.”

Teams operates across six core capability areas: Operational Excellence, Risk & Compliance, Strategy & Transformation, Digital & Technology, Customer & Brand, and People & Organisational Transformation.

Available now for SACC members

Outsized Teams is now available for Swedish companies operating in Australia, particularly well-suited to organisations looking to execute transformation initiatives, access senior expertise for specialist projects, or maintain delivery quality while achieving significant cost savings.

Learn more

Visit outsized.com/teams to explore capability areas and meet the Capability Leads.

Contact Sara Kahlau to discuss how Teams could support your organisation’s initiatives.

Sara Kahlau
Head of Outsized APAC
sara.kahlau@outsized.com
M: +61 406 181 989