Climb In Consulting

For this episode of Climb in Consulting, we’re shaking the format up a little.

Yes, we’re turning the tables, as our very own Nick Synnott joins Neil Sharp CCXP, PEN’s Marketing & Proposition Director, and Ben Edwards, Head of Partnerships at CMap, to explore the remarkable 4-year marketing journey that PEN has been on with Create Engage.

Having started with a limited brand presence and minimal content, PEN has steadily built their brand and marketing presence over the last four years, and now boast a sophisticated marketing function rivalling the Big Four.

We’re proud to say that Create Engage have been there for every step of the journey, helping PEN to build their marketing strategy from the ground up and continuing to support the team today.

In this in-depth discussion, Neil, Nick and Ben discuss the journey that PEN’s marketing has been on and offer practical advice on how to build an effective brand and marketing strategy that will support your consulting firm's growth or acquisition goals.

This frank and fascinating conversation covers an awful lot of ground, including:

- Why brand should be a significant lever in differentiating your consulting firm’s proposition

- How you can build an effective marketing strategy that gives you the ROI you want without breaking the bank

- Why empowering staff to take ownership of marketing can reap huge rewards

- Where you should focus your efforts when building your marketing operating model

- The reason PEN did all of this with an outsourced marketing partner, rather than hiring an in-house marketing team.

Whether you’re looking to scale your consulting firm, plan your exit, or simply want to ramp up your marketing, this episode will give you the insights you need to build an effective brand and marketing approach that will support your goals.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Neil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-sharp-ccxp-331b89/

Reach out to Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmedwards/

Learn more about PEN: https://penpartnership.com/

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Augusto Negrillo, Managing Director at Vivero.

Having started out as a software developer, Augusto quickly realised that the behind-the-scenes coding life wasn’t for him, instead preferring to be out in the field working with customers, helping them to ‘decode’ and transform their businesses.

His consulting career took him to the other side of the world and back again, taking leadership roles in a range of boutiques with a focus on growth; from sales, to operations to M&A.

Having been involved in multiple transactions and seen both the good and the bad, Augusto decided to launch Vivero - an advisory firm specialising in business growth, mergers and acquisitions for boutique consultancies.

With Augusto’s fantastic track record in consulting and his experience working day in day out on M&A deals with Vivero, he has a ton of great insights on what it takes to build, and sell, a boutique consultancy.

To share all of these great learnings, Nick caught up with Augusto to find out more about his career so far, including his successes and failures, and why, over the years, he’s learned much more from the latter.

Nick and Augusto discuss some fascinating topics in this episode, including:

· The key drivers to growing the value of your consultancy, and why revenue growth doesn’t always equal value growth.

· The importance of building a great business, not just a business to sell, and the three key groups you need to consider when thinking about any major strategic decision.

· And Augusto’s approach to business growth and acquisitions – which involves far more talk of wine, snacks and exotic fish than you might expect!

Whether you’re at the start of your journey and looking to set your consultancy up for success, or you're further down the road, and starting to plan for your own expansion or exit, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Augusto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustonegrillo/

Learn more about Vivero Ltd - http://www.viveroltd.com

Books mentioned in the show:

Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Clare Hill, CEO at Sysdoc.

If you’re a regular listener to this podcast, you’ll know by now that we love taking a deep dive into the different routes our guests’ careers have taken.

Clare’s story is a fascinating one and shows that you don’t need to start your career in the industry to reach the top.

Having spent the first 15 years of her career working in advertising, Clare decided that she needed a career that worked better for her homelife. With two young children at home, the socialising and client events that were commonplace in advertising at the time wasn’t sustainable

Through a chance conversation with a friend she learnt about Sysdoc, and decided to make the bold leap into consulting.

Over the last 25 years, Clare’s been on a hugely exciting roller coaster ride that’s seen her help navigate Sysdoc through the telco boom and bust of the early 2001s, the financial crash of the mid-2000s and the recent global pandemic. At the same time she’s seen her career skyrocket, going from a brand new consultant to becoming CEO of the UK business, a role that she’s now held since 2010.

With so much experience under her belt and a fantastic journey through the ups and downs of building a consulting firm, Nick knew they would have a ton to speak about and Clare shares tons of great advice for you in this episode.

We dive into some fascinating topics, including:

· Making the move from industry into consulting, how Clare found it and why Sysdoc are just as willing to hire industry professionals as they are experienced consultants.

· Sysdoc’s growth journey and how they’ve been able to retain their entrepreneurial spirit, even after 35 years.

· And the founding principles of Sysdoc and why aviation thinking is at the heart of everything they do.

This fantastic episode covers so much ground. If you’re starting out on your own consultancy journey, thinking of making the leap from industry to consulting, or simply want to find out more about how Clare’s consulting career took flight, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting.  

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Clare: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarehillsysdoc/

Learn more about Sysdoc: https://www.sysdoc.com/

Books mentioned in the show: 

Winning! The path to Rugby World Cup glory, by Clive Woodward

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Phil Rolfe, UK Managing Partner of Valcon.

Regular listeners to this podcast will know that we centre the discussion on the various routes our guests’ careers have taken, in order to highlight the endless possibilities and permutations offered by a career in consulting.

Phil’s journey is a really interesting one. It starts, as so many consultants’ journeys do, with a post-uni graduate trainee scheme. Working with Eagle Star, (subsequently Zurich), Phil qualified as an accountant and got plenty of experience under his belt before moving on to boutique consultancy, Tillinghast.

He then moved to London (and back to Eagle Star) to set up accountancy services for a new life and pensions business, which grew from nothing to 200 to 300 people.

A chance meeting resulted in a role with KPMG, where he worked for the next 5 years, including a stint on the NatWest/RBS integration. This led to RBS offering him a job managing major projects. He stayed for 11 years, through to the 2008 crash, when the NatWest Group was taken over by ABN AMRO.

Phil then moved to the Netherlands with his family, working with the ABN AMRO team in financial crime. He took their best practices around the world, building financial crime teams for RBS in Poland, Singapore, India and The United States .

Ready for his next adventure, Phil left RBS to set up his own financial crime company. Before long, he was approached by P2 Consulting who bought part of the company, before making him CEO of the whole firm. In December 2021, they joined forces with Valcon, with Phil as UK Managing Partner.

Nick caught up with Phil to find out more about his amazing journey, and how being open to new opportunities has given him a more diverse and interesting career than he could have imagined.

Nick and Phil dive into some fascinating topics in this episode, including…

· The decision to move from consulting to an industry role – and how progressing in a consultancy role can be a lot like a Christmas tree

· The importance of recognising when you’re not the smartest person in the room - and knowing when to rely on the expertise of the people around you

· How scaling a team to 500 (and then 2000!) people informed Phil’s leadership style and approach

· The value of being open to opportunities and saying yes to new experiences

…and much more besides.

In fact, there’s so much content in this episode, it’s almost impossible to summarise! Suffice to say, if you’re starting out on your own consultancy career, thinking of making the leap from consulting to industry, or simply enjoy listening to epic success stories, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philrolfe1/?originalSubdomain=uk

Learn more about Valcon: https://valcon.com/en/

Book mentioned in the show:

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, by Marshall Goldsmith

In this week’s episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick catches up with Peter Reid, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at MSQ.

Peter’s early career path took him from entrepreneurial beginnings at US-based start-up Simpsons, to a successful four years with McKinsey and Company. Peter then changed direction, taking on a senior development role at Media Square, which saw him cutting his teeth in what was then the relatively new world of digital marketing.

In 2011, he co-founded MSQ, seeing a gap in the market and a need from brands for smarter and simpler agency relationships. Fast forward to today and he’s now Global CEO, overseeing the UK’s fastest growing marketing network, with 1200 employees working across 13 global offices.

Nick and Peter discuss some fascinating topics in this episode, including:

- Peter’s early career and the key lessons he learnt from his time at McKinsey.

- What led Peter to co-found MSQ and how MSQ’s acquisition strategy has turbocharged its growth in the UK and overseas.

- The importance of culture, and how to build a culture that works at both a group and individual agency level.

- And the importance of sustainability, diversity and inclusion and Peter’s advice for how to approach these to deliver real change in your organisation.

- This wide ranging conversation had something in it for everyone. Whether you’re just starting out on your own consultancy journey or perhaps you’re looking at how to grow your business and are considering venturing into the world of M&A, you’re going to get so much from Peter’s advice in this episode.

Enjoy the show!

Reach out to Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-reid1/

Learn more about MSQ Partners Ltd: https://www.msqpartners.com/

Books mentioned in the show:

The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto

The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future by David Wallace-Wells

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Stefan Aichbauer, Managing Partner at H&Z.

If you’re a regular listener to this podcast, you’ll know that we like to chat with our guests about the various routes their careers have taken, and how their individual journeys have helped to shape their outlook.

Having started his career at Siemens, it wasn’t long before Stefan realised that life in a multinational corporation wasn’t for him, and at the age of 24, he made the leap to what was then a small, boutique consulting firm with just eight other people, but which has since grown into H&Z Group, now one of the 100 best employers in Germany.

At H&Z, Stefan’s career took a rapid, upward trajectory. He rose through the ranks from Analyst, through to Partner, before being made Managing Partner in 2008.

That was fifteen years ago, and since then, the firm has enjoyed phenomenal success, growing significantly since them and forming the leading European wide consulting group, the Transformation Alliance, something Nick and Stefan explore in today’s episode.

Nick and Stefan delve into some fascinating areas in this episode, including:

-Stefan’s head, heart, hand approach to consulting

-What great consulting leaders have in common with movie directors

-The importance of knowing when to step back and ‘give up the sugar’ as you progress in to senior leadership

-And why passion for the job is the one non-negotiable if you want to build an awesome consulting career

If you’re starting out on your own consultancy journey, thinking of making the leap from a big multi-national to a boutique firm, or simply want to learn from someone at the top of our field, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Stefan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanaichbauer/

Learn more about H&Z Management Consulting: https://hz.group/

Books, magazines, and websites mentioned in the show:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey

For this week’s episode of Climb in Consulting, We’re bringing you something a little different to the norm. For one week only, we’re turning the tables, as Nick joins Professor Joe O’Mahoney for a chat on his fantastic podcast, Growth for Consultancies.

Joe is a leading authority on consulting and a trusted advisor to many boutique consulting firms. His research on the profession has won several prestigious awards and publications. His textbook on Management Consulting was the best-selling in Europe and his academic research has been published in top international journals.

As a previous guest on this show, Nick was honoured when Joe asked him to come on Growth for Consultancies and join an enviable list of former guests, including the likes of Adrian Bettridge, Stephen Newton and Rob Garner to name but a few.

In this conversation, Joe grills Nick on what effective marketing for boutique consultancies should really look like, what firms like yours should be focusing on in 2023 and challenges Nick to prove the ROI of marketing - a question we often get when speaking to consultancies out in the market.

If you’re a consultancy leader and you want to find out how effective digital marketing can turbocharge your growth, you won’t want to miss this episode of Climb in Consulting.

We hope you enjoy it!

You can listen to Nick's interview with Joe for Climb in Consulting here: joeomahoney.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick chats to Stephen Aldridge, Managing Director at financial modelling consultancy, Numeritas.

If you’re a regular listener of the podcast, you’ll know that we often explore the different routes to success that many of our guests have followed. Stephen’s journey has been one of the most interesting we’ve encountered, taking him from factory-based engineering to running his own successful boutique consultancy – with a stint as a painter and decorator thrown in for good measure!

During his time as an engineer, Stephen got to know his products inside out, but he soon began to crave a more commercial role. He moved into sales and marketing, before discovering his true passion – financial modelling. He then spent several successful years at KPMG and Deloitte – where the prospect of making Partner was dangled in front of him more than once – before making the leap into running Numeritas with his business partner, Denver McCann.

That was almost 20 years ago. Now, as Numeritas approaches two successful decades in business, Nick catches up with Stephen to find out more about his journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way, including:

- What makes a successful partnership and his advice for anyone building a consultancy with a co-founder or founders

- Stephen’s lessons from 20 years in business, what’s helped Numeritas accelerate their success and what pitfalls you should watch out for if you’re at the start of building your own consultancy

- How taking a structured approach to marketing led to a 40% increase in sales and why Stephen sees marketing as a critical part of their business.

- And why Numertias choose to outsource all but core consulting functions and the lessons you can learn to help you improve your own consultancy.

Whether you’re interested in starting your own consultancy, thinking of making the leap from the ‘Big Four’ to a boutique, or simply enjoy a cracking interview, you’ll love listening to this episode of Climb in Consulting.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Books mentioned in the show:

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals – Sean Covey and Chris McChesney: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Disciplines-Execution-Revised-Achieving-Important/dp/1398506664/ref=asc_df_1398506664/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=500798696358&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9077352115313573375&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-1185258338109&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0141033576/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34CEMRJV2OYUJ&keywords=Thinking+Fast+and+Slow+%E2%80%93+Daniel+Kahneman&qid=1678380546&s=books&sprefix=thinking+fast+and+slow+daniel+kahneman%2Cstripbooks%2C91&sr=1-1

Noise – Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noise-book-authors-Thinking-Nudge/dp/0008309035/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=UD0H3VZZ7PKN&keywords=Noise+%E2%80%93+Daniel+Kahneman&qid=1678380565&s=books&sprefix=noise+daniel+kahneman%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-7-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

Stephen’s Recommended Reads:

Thinking and forecasting:

Superforecasting - Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner

The Signal and the Noise - Nate Silver

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness - Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

How To Make The World Add Up - Tim Harford

The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme - Prof Steve Peters

Time to think - Nancy Kline

Influence and negotiating:

Never Split The Difference - Chris Voss

Influence - Robert Cialdini

Pre-suasion - Robert Cialdini

How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big - Scott Adams

Loserthink - Scott Adams

Win Bigly - Scott Adams

Other favourites:

Rebel Ideas - Matthew Syed

Black Box Thinking - Matthew Syed

Messy - Tim Harford

The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford

If you’re a regular listener to the Climb in Consulting podcast, you’ll know that every few months we like to switch things up, deviating from our usual interview format to bring you something a little different - and this episode is exactly that!

New to Climb In Consulting? Then let us explain. Every episode, our guests offer fantastic insights and advice, particularly when they’re answering one very important question that we ask everyone who comes on the show:

‘What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in consulting, someone at Manager level and someone approaching Partner?’

Because our guests come from such a wide range of backgrounds, and have followed many different consulting career paths, they all have their own unique perspective on this question, and always provide varied and insightful responses. Many of our listeners have told us that they love listening to these answers, which is why we put them all together in our special round-up shows.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from a selection of guests from the past eight months of Climb In Consulting, as they all draw on their individual experiences to bring you valuable insights on how to build a successful consulting career.

In this episode, you’ll be hearing from:

Keith Burgess - Head of Management Consulting Development Curriculum EMEA at IBM

Michael Simmonds & Manfred Abraham – Co-CEOs at Yonder Consulting

Andrew Zimmerman – CEO at Journey

Catherine Crump - Managing Director at Wired Consulting

Heather Townsend – Best Selling Author & Global Expert on Making Partner

Ashley Chapman – CEO at inlumi

James O'Sullivan - CEO at Project One Consulting

Chris Gant - Managing Partner at Wunderman Thompson Consulting

There’s so much great advice featured in this episode, and we’re sure you’ll get a lot out of it, no matter what stage you’re at in your career.

In today’s episode of Climb in Consulting Nick is joined by Nick Kent, Founder of Alpha FMC, the global financial services consultancy with over 900 consultants supporting clients across 16 offices spanning the UK, Europe, North America and APAC.

While Nick’s story with Alpha ended very successfully, that’s not how it started. And it was actually a shock redundancy from Accenture that led him to launch the business. Something Nick shares in detail in today’s conversation.

As the saying goes, when one door closes another opens, and in Nick’s case this was the catalyst that led to him launching Alpha. Fast forward and the firm’s grown massively, been through not one, but two PE investment rounds, and in 2017 it IPO’d on London’s aim market.

With so much experience in the industry and a phenomenal journey building Alpha, there was so much to unpack in this conversation, including:

- Nick’s shock redundancy and how this difficult time led him to launch Alpha FMC

- The fundamental principles that Alpha was built on and how these led Nick and the team to have the success that they have as a business

- And the journey from a private business, to private equity to IPO, the ups, the downs and everything in between.

Whether you’re thinking of launching your own consultancy, or you’re running a firm or practice area right now and want to learn from one of the best in the industry, you’re going to get so much from this conversation.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Get to know Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kent-518512/

Find out more about Alpha FMC: https://alphafmc.com/

Books mentioned in the show:

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-One-Minute-Manager/dp/0008128049