Climb In Consulting

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Chris Gant, Managing Partner at Wunderman Thompson Consulting.

As successful consultancy careers go, Chris’s is up there with the very best of them!

Having spent eighteen fast-paced years at KPMG, Chris decided he wanted to take some time out and in 2004, he left to go back to school, joining the Sloan programme at London Business School.

It was his time at LBS that led him to joining EY as a senior partner in their Middle East and Africa business where he spent the best part of the next decade. Returning to the UK in 2020 to take on an EMEIA leadership role.

Having retired from EY and after a short break, Chris decided to jump back into a new and exciting role - still in consulting, but this time with a difference. Joining Wunderman Thompson (part of the WPP marketing and communications group) to build their transformation consulting business. A relative start-up within the huge global brand that is Wunderman Thompson.

Nick and Chris cover some fascinating areas in this conversation, including:

- Why taking time out of the industry was one of the best career decisions he made.

- Consulting in the Middle East and his advice if you’re thinking of making the move.

- How Chris successfully managed to jump from a “big four” environment to a creative agency, and the biggest things he learnt along the way.

If you’re looking to make a new career move in 2023, Chris’s advice will be hugely valuable to you.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgant/

Learn more about Wunderman Thompson: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/expertise/consulting

Books mentioned in the show:

How to Cheat at Chess by William R. Hartson https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Cheat-Chess-William-Hartston/dp/0091261112

At Create Engage, we like to share as much information as we can to help you get the most out of your marketing. So with that in mind, this week’s episode of Climb In Consulting is a little different!

Instead of the usual conversation with an industry-leading guest, Nick’s on hand to give you everything you need to set your 2023 marketing strategy up for success.

Today’s episode is taken from a webinar we ran for over 90 consulting firms who wanted to learn how they could improve their marketing. Nick walks you through our tried and tested marketing framework. The same framework we’re using with our clients to help them create effective marketing strategies that generate ROI.

As a taster for what’s to come, in this episode we willI explain some of the critical components you need for an effective marketing strategy, including:

- How to define your niche and what makes your consultancy truly unique.

- Why targeting ‘CxOs' is killing your ROI, the importance of understanding your audience and how to market to them.

- How to generate and amplify high-quality content using the digital marketing channels that are working for your competitors right now.

Whether you’re creating your digital marketing strategy from scratch or trying to improve the framework you already have, there are plenty of tricks and tips that you definitely won’t want to miss!

Enjoy the show.

In the latest episode of Climb into Consulting, Nick is joined by James O’Sullivan, CEO of Project One.

James' career demonstrates that you don't have to follow a traditional career path to succeed in our industry.

After sending letters to all of the FTSE 100 and being rejected by 99 of them, James began his project management career at Tate and Lyle.

After this, he developed his passion for change management and continued on to lead major change programmes for Lloyds Banking Group and NAB for the next 25 years. But, there is more to James' story than just contracting success.

Since joining Project One in 2014, James has risen through the ranks to become CEO. With such a wealth of experience and a passion for doing things differently, Nick and James discuss a wide range of topics, including:

- James' early career and how his time in ‘in house roles’ set him up for success leading Project One.

- Project One’s unique approach and why they ignore many of the industry norms when it comes to running their business.

- And, James’ transition to becoming CEO and his advice if you’re about to undertake a leadership change in your own firm.

It doesn't matter whether you're on the path to becoming CEO or already there, James has some insider advice you'll benefit from.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Find out more about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-o-sullivan-3a2596/

Learn more about Project One: https://projectone.com/

Books and podcasts mentioned by James:

Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Iceberg-Melting-Succeeding-Conditions/dp/0230014208

The High Performing Podcast:

https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/

In this episode, Nick chats with Ash Chapman, CEO at Inlumi, the rapidly growing consultancy focused on large-scale, technology enabled transformation for the Office of the CFO.

Ash has had a hugely successful and diverse career and one which shows that you don’t have to follow a set path to achieve success.

Having started out working for a software vendor, Ash moved on to join boutique consultancy, Paragon Consulting, where he spent eight successful years before they were acquired by PwC.

That jump from small to big gave Ash exposure to a whole world of opportunity and mentorship that helped him accelerate his career. Something we go into detail on in today’s conversation.

After almost a decade at PWC, Ash started thinking about his next challenge, and called on his extensive network to test the waters. Before long, the opportunity to set up Inlumi’s UK business came up. This was the challenge Ash had been looking for and he set off to help them launch.

Fast forward and Ash is now the CEO of Inlumi, a business with over 250 employees spanning Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In this conversation, Ash and Nick talk through the various stages of his career and how they combined to put him at exactly the right place, at the right time, and with the right skills and experience to enable him to make the jump to CEO.

They cover:

The key differences between boutique consultancies and big firms, and why both have a lot to offer.

Why when it comes to consulting careers, one size doesn’t fit all, and like Ash, you don’t have to follow a set path to success.

How to harness the power of your network and Ash’s advice if you’re thinking of making a career move.

And the Inlumi journey so far, the challenges of starting a business from scratch and the value they’ve seen of investing in building the right culture from the start.

If you’re at a career crossroads and looking at which road to take next, Ash’s advice is going to really help you.

We hope you enjoy it!

Reach out to Ash - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmanash/

Find out more about Inlumi - https://www.Inlumi.com/

Specific Things Discussed in the Episodes:

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-People-Surfing-Education-Businessman-Including/dp/0143109677/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25Q8TIR0L7ID&keywords=Let+my+people+go+surfing&qid=1668775871&sprefix=let+my+people+go+surfing%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life by Rory Sutherland

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alchemy-Curious-Science-Creating-Business/dp/0062388428/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3MSZUJXU2HR7T&keywords=alchemy+by+Rory+Sutherland.&qid=1668776021&sprefix=alchemy+by+rory+sutherland.%2Caps%2C53&sr=8-2

The Art of Resilience: Strategies for an Unbreakable Mine and Body by Ross Edgley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Resilience-Ross-Edgley/dp/0008356955/ref=sr_1_2?crid=KHPTK1YKQ4A7&keywords=The+Art+of+resilience+ross+edgley+paperback&qid=1668776131&sprefix=the+art+of+resilience+ross+edgley+paperback%2Caps%2C67&sr=8-2

This week Nick is joined by Heather Townsend, award- winning author and expert on what it takes to make partner in a professional services firm.

The #ClimbInConsulting podcast is all about helping you to climb up the consulting ladder and who better to help you with that than someone who spends their days advising consultants on how to do just that!

Making partner can often seem like a dark art and it’s something that many people chase for years, but never successfully reach. In Heather’s latest book, ‘Poised for Partnership’ she outlines a holistic 12 step approach that gives you the secrets you need to succeed and in this episode we dive deep into some of the key areas for you to think about, including:

- What those 12 steps are and why you need to be deliberate in the order in which you approach them if you want to succeed.

- Why most people get their Partner business case wrong and what you need to be doing in the run up to promotion to give you the best chance of success.

- And what you should be thinking about when developing your Partner progression process in your firm and how to avoid the biggest mistake that boutiques make when it comes to partner promotion.

Whether you’re on the cusp of partnership, or you’re earlier in your career and want to lay the foundations for success, Heather shares some fantastic insights in this one that you won’t want to miss.

Enjoy the show!

Reach out to Heather:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertownsend/

The Partner Readiness Assessment: https://careerprogressionreadiness.scoreapp.com/

Books mentioned by Heather:

Switch: How to Change Things When Things Are Hard by Dan and Chip Heath

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switch-change-things-when-hard/dp/1847940323

Heather’s own books:

How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life: The Smart Way to Get to and Stay at the Top

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Partner-Still-Have-Life/dp/0749498366/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=

Poised for Partnership: How to Successfully Move from Senior Associate and Senior Manager to Partner by Building a Cast-Iron Personal and Business Case for Partnership

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poised-Partnership-successfully-associate-partnership/dp/1913037088/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=poised+for+partnership&qid=1668698231&sr=8-1

The Accountant’s Millionaire Club: How to Build a Highly Profitable £1 Million Pound Practice While Working Fewer Hours With Less Stress

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B082XG7LNZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

The Financial Times Guide to Business Networking ePub: How to use the power of online and offline networking for business success

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M81LDJG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

The Go-To Expert: How to Grow Your Reputation, Differentiate Yourself From the Competition and Win New Business

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JDDHZIK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

In this episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick chats with Catherine Crump, Managing Director at Wired Consulting.

Catherine’s had a hugely successful career and one that shows what you can achieve if you put in the work.

Having joined Freshminds as one of the most junior members of the team, she worked her way up, becoming CEO of the spin out Decidedly, just a decade later.

After 15 years there, she decided the time was right to think about her next challenge, and that’s when the role with Wired Consulting came up.

The opportunity to launch a brand new consulting business doesn’t come up often, and to do that within an already hugely well regarded brand like Wired is something rarer still. For Catherine, it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down and in 2019 she made the move to join Wired Consulting as their Managing Director.

But her success hasn’t come without sacrifice. A topic that we dive deep into in today’s episode as Catherine shares her candid and refreshing perspective on the challenges of building a career while raising a family at the same time.

In this conversation Nick and Catherine go deep in to some fascinating, and hugely important topics for anyone looking to climb in consulting, including:

- The pros and cons of big firms and boutiques, and how these can vary depending where you are in your life and your career.

- Catherine’s approach to balancing her work and family life, and her advice for others grappling with how to have a career and a family at the same time.

- And her journey with Wired Consulting so far and how she’s successfully managed to build a consultancy from the ground up, in spite of the pandemic.

Nick and Catherine cover so much ground in this episode that there really is something for everyone! Whether you’re a senior partner or an ambitious graduate, Catherine shares some fantastic insights and experiences that you’ll definitely find useful in your own career journey.

Enjoy the show.

Reach out to Catherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-crump-4a50b51/

Find out more about Wired: https://www.wired.co.uk

Specific Things Discussed in the Episode:

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Anniversary/dp/1471195201/ref=asc_df_1471195201/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430989470045&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17193296444736582447&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-911500871715&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=97419294862&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=430989470045&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17193296444736582447&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-911500871715

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 tales of Extraordinary Women: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Night-Stories-Rebel-Girls/dp/014198600X/ref=asc_df_014198600X/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311004790924&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17892768586249841390&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-364195443484&psc=1

In the latest episode of Climb into Consulting, Nick is joined by Andrew Zimmerman, CEO of Journey.

It’s safe to say that Andrew’s had a fascinating career at the cutting edge of consulting. He was responsible for launching Accenture’s new business division, better known today as Accenture Interactive, he turned around the leading global design agency Frog, not once, but twice, and he’s now running one of the world’s first consultancies focused on tackling the challenges of customer experience in Web 3.0, Journey.

But Andrew’s story isn’t just one of hard charging corporate success. It’s a journey of self reflection and self discovery that’s lead him to places that he never thought he’d go and shows the power of understanding who you are and bringing your true self to your professional as well as your personal life.

In this compelling conversation, Nick and Andrew explore this fascinating career journey so far. They focus on the key lessons he’s learnt along the way, including:

- The personal journey he’s been on over the last 10 years and how a trip to Glastonbury changed his life.

- How he successfully led Frog not once, but twice, and the secrets to his success in turning the business around both times.

- Why his early start up experience was critical to his success with Accenture New Business and what consultancies can learn from the start up mentality.

- And we talk about his latest venture, Journey, why he launched the business and how they’re helping global brands to navigate the metaverse.

Whether you’re early in your career and looking for the confidence to bring your true self to work, or maybe you’re at the top of your firm, but you’re still not feeling fulfilled. Andrew’s advice in this episode is going to really help you.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Reach out to Andrew:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewzimmerman1/

Learn more about Journey:

https://journey.world/

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick is joined by Michael Simmonds and Manfred Abraham, who are both Co-CEOs at Yonder Consulting.

We don’t often have two guests appearing at once, but this episode really does demand it!

Their story, and that of Yonder, makes for a fascinating case study in how, by combining complementary skill sets and businesses with shared values, you're able to create something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

Having worked closely together in their previous businesses, Michael at Populus and Manfred at BrandCap, they decided to join forces to form Yonder back in 2020.

Fast forward to 2022, and Yonder is thriving. Despite the challenges of bringing their businesses together during the pandemic, they’re now a growing firm of over 150 people, with offices across London, New York and Hong Kong.

In this conversation, Nick chats with Michael and Manfred as they explore their journey to co-running Yonder. They discuss the lessons they’ve learnt along the way, including:

- How they successfully merged their businesses and launched Yonder during the pandemic, the challenges both of these things caused for them and how they overcame them.

- How Michael and Manfred are able to make co-running the business work, the structures they use, and their advice to others thinking of following a similar approach.

- And how they’ve approached diversity and inclusion at Yonder. The practical steps they’ve taken and advice for others looking to create more of an open conversation about diversity and inclusion in their firm.

If you want to understand how you can make a merger work - whether you’re merging firm, practice or team - the advice that Michael and Manfred share in this one will give you a lots to think about.

Enjoy the show!

Reach out to Michael:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simmondsmichael/

LinkedIn: [email protected]

Reach out to Manfred:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manfredbrandcap/

Email: [email protected]

Learn more about Yonder: https://yonderconsulting.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwm8WZBhBUEiwA178UnKZqrA0l7dGAX9vp1jwsR8ZFM_4GRqSrDy11rXHwXbj3zIk7UpATsxoCbxEQAvD_BwE

Specific things discussed in the episode:

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0141014598

Stolen Children by Michael Wood https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stolen-Children-gripping-addictive-thriller-ebook/dp/B084ZB444L

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Circle-Maggie-Shipstead-ebook/dp/B08CMLCFWM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IOXAFVFB8N6Q&keywords=the+great+circle+by+maggie+shipstead&qid=1665066034&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjMyIiwicXNhIjoiMi4xMiIsInFzcCI6IjIuMTYifQ%3D%3D&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+great+circle+by+Maggie%2Cdigital-text%2C59&sr=1-1

In the latest episode of Climb into Consulting, Nick is joined by Keith Burgess, Head of Management Consulting Development Curriculum at IBM consulting EMEA.

Having spent the best part of two decades as a consultant himself, Keith moved into training and over the last 10 years has helped shape and deliver the full gamut of training for IBM - from basic consulting skills through to Partner level development.

As someone who’s played a leading role in shaping the training for 1,000s of consultants across the globe, both internally at IBM and externally with the Chartered Management Consulting award, it’s fair to say Keith knows what it is that people like you need to focus on if they want to reach the top.

In this conversation, Nick and Keith discuss a whole range of topics that will help you in your journey to Partner and beyond, including:

- The important skills that consultants need to learn to set themselves on the path to success.

- How to make the leap to Partner and what holds people back from getting there.

- Why the industry has developed the The Chartered Management Consultant Award and how it could help you advance your career.

- And why you need to be thinking about work-life balance if you want a long and successful career in consulting.

Whether you’ve just started in consulting, or looking to make the step up to Partner, this episode offers tons of advice and insights to help you on your way.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Find out more about Keith:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-burgess-22529a1/details/experience/

Specific things discussed in this episode:

Heather Townsend: https://www.howtomakepartner.com/author/heather-townsend/

Arbinger Institute: https://arbinger.com/Landing/books.html

Perry Holley: https://www.remarkablemanager.com/

Paul Maltby: https://www.paulmaltby.com/

Graham Allcott: https://www.grahamallcott.com/

Paul Crick: https://theelevatepartnership.com/team/

ChMC Framework: https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Chartered-Management-Consultant/Competence-Framework.pdf

Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument: https://www.thinkherrmann.com/hbdi

“The New Leaders” by Daniel Goleman: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-new-leaders/daniel-goleman/richard-e-boyatzis/9780751533811

At Create Engage, we like to help share all of the great advice and expertise that consulting leaders have, but that so rarely sees the light of day outside their own firm.

We are big believers in sharing anything that helps consultants climb in their careers and so when we heard this interview we had to share it with you on Climb In Consulting.

In this week’s episode, you won’t be hearing from our host Nick Synnott. Instead you will be hearing from Prof. Joe O’Mahoney, Professor of Consulting at Cardiff University and CEO of Consulting Mastered, and Rob Garner, Partner at Garwood Solutions, two former guests of the podcast.

This episode is from Joe’s brilliant Growth For Consultancies podcast series which comes of the back of his new book Growth: Building a Successful Consultancy in the Digital Age. The reason we are sharing this particular conversation, is because it talks about many topics that you ae interested in hearing about.

So, what will they be talking about?

In this conversation, Joe and Rob go deep in to the inner workings of consulting M&A and many of the elements that you need to think about when building, buying and selling a consulting firm, including:

• What decided the value of a consulting business and how buyers and sellers think about the M&A process

• Common areas that Rob and his team at Garwood Solutions look for when assessing deals for clients and how to pre-empt these if you’re considering selling your firm.

• And the hidden benefits of automation for consultancies and why investing in a PSA solution maybe just what your firm needs to help you get to the next level.

Whether you’re building out a business plan for your new consultancy, or you are already on the journey towards scale and a possible exit, you’ll find plenty of tips in today’s conversation.

Enjoy the show.

Reach out to Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeomahoney/

Find out more about Consulting Mastered: https://consultingmastered.com/

Get in touch with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garnerrobert/

Learn more about Garwood Solutions: https://garwoodsolutions.com/