Wish I Knew . . .

I'm your host Gary Nowak and I've got a China / Germany KPMG connection for you with my outstanding guest Angelika Alt-Sherer.  I was blown away by the great perspective and advice provided throughout this conversations

Biography Snapshot

• Borne and grew up in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
• Married for more than 25 years, met my husband at KPMG
• Career start at KPMG after graduating 30 years ago with 7 years out of the box experience at another Big Four, a smaller consulting firm and as a freelancer in the first decade of my career
• Audit Partner at KPMG Germany with stations in Munich, Stuttgart and Shanghai (3 years)
• Serving a broad range of clients in different industries (main focus on Media and Automotive), listed companies as well as family owned business
• Since 2018 part of the Audit Leadership of the German firm as CHRO

Highlights

•  Working on the farm from ages 9 to 12 yo
• Tax consulting early
• 7 year checking things out of her career
• Wanted to try out a lot of things and see what she liked
• Being a very structured person and being german, go figure
• Going from big company to her own company
• Learning the advantages of a big company and how to make it work for her
• The ideal combination of a KPMG
• You can hear her smile throughout the discussion
• Being mentored and mentoring, how she developed her style
• Selling - listening and asking questions
• Great questions when mentoring, really strong
• Everything has a price and consequences
• Using martial arts for career guidance
• Her best advice
   
  • Learn
  • Work hard 
  • Be independent
• Leave your comfort zone, as much as possible
• Being positive and flexible
• Setback discussion
• Sink or swim without a lifeguard (metaphorically of course)
• Working in china conversation and how to work their successfully
• Solid celebrity crush

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Founder and Executive Chairman of QI Group of companies
   
  • HQ's in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur 
  • Operations in over 30 countries 
• He is diversified with business interests in:
   
  • Real estate 
  • Education 
  • Retail and Hospitality 
  • Also owns a football / soccer club in Malaysia 

Highlights

• Following in his fathers footsteps early with wanting to a lawyer and studying in the UK
• Impact of Margaret Thatcher on his education
• Not liking accountancy all that much
• Picking up Political Science
• The Knowledge - Driving a taxi in London
• Training program to the outskirts of Chicago
• Nice message to University Graduates
• The buck stops here
• Loyalty discussion and caring
• Mercenary vs missionary
• Backpacking from London to Greece
• Building up relationships while traveling
• 33 days of silence
• Having only one mouth
• The beauty of the pause
• Marriage and back to Malaysia
• The 15% promise that didn't materialize
• Who works for who?
• If not now then when?
• Failure is critical
• Dare to . . . . 
• Be grateful
• Adapt, adjust, accommodate
• Your value is more than you paycheck

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

I'm your host Gary Nowak and in addition to being a great person and fantastic former co-worker my guest Liz Evans has one of my most favorite accents of all time (Northern England). 

Career Background:

• Big 4 Principal for over 5 years
• Managing director at EquaTerra
• Managing consultant with PA Consulting Group
• Attended University of Hertfordshire just north of London studied Business and Decision Science

Highlights

• Baby sitting Dads golf buddy kids
• Claim to fame for her town Captain Cook - Grew up in Northern England
• LOVED her small college north of London melting pot
• Parameters from her Mum on where to attend university
• The LOVE of London and her small university

Wanting to stay at university  and her Phd opportunity

• Getting into Consulting to "Catch Up" with peers
• A lot of LOVE in her career and life
• Finding a mutually beneficial friend in college to provide an alternative perspective
• Great Dallas project while living in London (Listen to the lifestyle)
• Comparing working in the UK and the US, insightful
• Getting terrible advice when moving to the US, using it as motivation
• Know your own personal North Star
• Consulting event in San Diego with family and kids, impactful (Mind blowing)
• There is always a Plan B
• Liz builds relationships quickly
• Trust and integrity are core to Liz and her success
• Consulting is about connecting the dots, we don't have to have all the answers
• The beauty of a boutique consulting firm
• Finding her sweet spot in consulting
• Being Bi-Lingual, shocker
• Trust who you are and know your boundaries
• Proud moment of getting promoted to MD while on maternity leave
• Working in the UK Friday at 4 pm is the best

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Finance transformation expert most recently with:
   
  • BT in London 
• Prior to that:
   
  • SVP Finance Operations with Smith and Nephew 
  • VP Finance Transformation and systems with Pearson

Highlights

• Not knowing how to do his first job and getting promoted
• Compensating with a Porsche
• Taking a year off  prior to University
• Coming from humble stock
• Degree in English, but switching to accounting for a job
• Having verbal agility and emotional intelligence have served John well
• The Gap Year discussion
• Growing into Leadership
• Advice on public speaking
• Talking stand up comedy
• Why he chose his first employer
• Being stubborn and getting accounting credentials
• Watching Dad and loving what he saw
• Getting out of accounting at the right time
• Coming down to Shared Services where we eventually met
• Logistics eats strategy for lunch everyday
• Great story about a US Major General that changed his life
• Crafting his own career path, MAGIC
• Finding his stride for 3 to 5 years in shared services, being so happy
• Great approach to conflict resolution
• Wonderful mentors that shaped his career
• Mentoring - Migrant Leaders
• What young people want these days
• Wonderful advice that fits everyone, so powerful
• Never been to a McDonald's
• Translation
   
  • Canteen = Lunch Room
•  
  • Cud = Fat
•  
  • Lager = Beer
•  

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Coca Cola in various role 
  • SVP Customer Excellence 
  • VP of the West Zone 
  • National Team leader with sales associate recruiting 
  • National account executive 
• Florida State University majoring in Advertising Communication

Highlights

• Being a Seminole vs a Gator
• No idea on the major, sound familiar
• Sales career began early with convincing her dad of a way out of government work
• Podcast host with Origin stories
• Find your own authentic path
• Head / heart / gut conversation - where to listen
• "Everyone will let you down" comment
• Your choices create our outcomes
• People and soooo generous
• The informational interviews
• The Coke interview and starting with then in California
• The 12 to 1 ratio
• Being a successful woman at coke for 33 years
• We all have Plot twists that happen in our lives
• Paying attention to 
• Quiet the voices in your head
• Stopping is a great thing
• Always check in on your career path
• We've got your back
• Great proud moment
• Best career move had an element of regret
• Trust yourself

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Author of the book "The Career Toolkit"
• MIT Graduate and an engineer by background
• Chief Technology Officer at several companies
• Faculty at MIT
• Creator of the "brain Dump" App

https://brainbumpapp.com/

Highlights

• Mom "Why don't you teach the chess class"
• Book "The Career Toolkit" 
  • 10 Topics / 10 chapters
• Learning the intangible skills to go along with the technical skills
• Giving content to MIT
• Helping people reach their potential
• Graduate degree in Cryptography
• Political volunteer for Clinton
• Never ever have software based voting
• Not knowing what to do, he "Hid" out at MIT as research staff
• How to think about looking for a job
• Look at the job not the title, dig deeper
• Looking at your career like a chess match
• Running towards is better than running away
• Look for material changes at your company
• Building your career plan
• Don't "Drift" with your career
• Field testing his book
• Be open to randomness and opportunities
• Focusing on the outcome
• Hates consulting
• Competitive dance career
• Discount all advice you are given
• Sabbatical 5 months prior to 30 years old

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Founder and CEO of Avanti Search
• Recruitment experience with: 
  • Accolade Wines 
  • Class Ltd 
  • Wolters Kluwer 
  • NSW Dept of Industry 
• Apprentice Australia Contestant
• Ambassador for: 
  • Ferrari 
  • Australian Grand Prix Corporation 
• Miss World Australia 2006

Her Company - https://www.avantisearch.com.au/

 Highlights

• Best first job ever Miss World Australia 2006
• Looking for a way to get into charity work
• Finding excitement in recruitment
• Creating a company that aligns with her values
• Taking care of the family with an unwell Mother
• Building up confidence early on and taking that with her throughout
• Being discovered through her great interview skills
• An interview is just a conversation
• Key skill is her listening ability
• Hearing impairment is her super power
• Aligning career to her values
• Communicating with Executives
• Coaching candidates on their career experience and imposter syndrome
• Ask for a water, coffee or tea
• Admitting your nerves
• Overdelivering on content
• The "Golden" interview question
• Avanti Search is her own company with high touch
• Great perspective on her success
• Venice to Vegas
• Summertime in New Delhi

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Career Background:

• Currently President and CEO of Axion Medical
• Board member with:
   
  • Bottlenose 
  • ESSI 
• Advisor to Private Equity and Venture capitalists
• Equaterra for nearly 8 years
• Founder of Morgan Chambers in the UK

Highlights

• Hard working family and the oldest of 6 kids
• Community College degree / Great visual
• Power plant engineering degree
• Semi autonomous robot work
• Extremely technical background out of College
• Killing two sacred cows at once
• Citigroup came calling early on
• The drive for $$$
• Learning outsourcing at the very beginning
• Gaining cultural experience early on as an independent contractor
• Outworks everyone else
• Loves the English language
• Massive advice from Mom - Understand people
• EQ = Understanding or caring for people
• Best advice - Question everything
• Secret to success "Live in the Gray"
• Speed in decision making
• Get over yourself and ALWAYS Be yourself
• Constant knocks on his door for opportunities
• Choose your partners wisely and monitor the alliance
• Contention unattended becomes conflict
• Engineering, Outsourcing, Ad Agency
• Organic career choices with good decisions
• Never selling his soul
• World Class Philly Cheesesteak sandwich maker / Comfort Food

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Background

• Currently - Director of Talent X & Educate X 
• Cracked into consulting in 2011 with Gallop Solutions where she worked with some incredible people who helped shape her career.
• Marnie eventually Started her own Business consultant organization

Highlights:

• Hungry Jacks (Burger Kind) and the $300 phone bill
• No drive or desire to go to university
• Out of High School "I want to go to England" so she did
• Daniel and Lindy internship
• First client at 19, "you can pay me to talk about my or how I can help you."
• Analytical and structured thinker
• Working with small businesses
• Really likes people, loves human beings
• 6 months, no way. Turned into 6 years
• 24 hour decision, do you want to be here or not
• Being completely self aware
• Best advice - Death Bed Exercise
• Having a casual lack of concern - "Insouciant"

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!

Welcome to another episode of "Wish I Knew . . . " 

A podcast where I speak with people about their career success, advice given or received and listen to their interesting stories about how they got to where they are today.

 I am honored to have someone I've always looked up to in my consulting career  Bob Cecil

 - Nuclear Engineer to a Big 4 Partner
- Involved in 3 start up consulting firms
- Widely recognized as a thought leader and industry spokesperson for shared services and outsource advisory
- Worked with several Fortune 100 clients globally
- One of the best consultants I've ever had the pleasure to work with

 ​Some Highlights for our discussion:

- Business development - Letting go of your fears
- What intrigued him about Consulting
- Solving complex problems and Being Curious
- The most important thing in being a successful consultant
- Having Role Models is important for success
- Mentoring the good ones embrace it
- Solid advice he received "Hero's don't scale"
 - Go quick go alone . Go far go with a team
- The Power of "I Don't Know"
- His key to success 
     - Strong team around you
- Keeping your own compass around ethical dilemma's
- How Bob wants to be most remembered

Want to be a guest? Email me at [email protected]!