Penna Consulting, the human capital management consultancy, has acquired the James Black Partnership in Belfast in a deal worth up to £6 million sterling (€10 million) over the next six years. Penna Consulting will pay an initial £800,000 for the Belfast human resources consultancy and a deferred amount of up to £5.2 million based on the profit performance of the company up to the year 2005.

The Northern Ireland company's clients include Nortel, Eircell, Bombardier and a number of Northern Ireland Government departments.