This year, the nominations for Consulting magazine’s annual Top 25 Consultants had a much different feel than in previous years. In 2009, the overall tone of the 350-plus nominations we received was one of admiration.
In a crisis, the words “trusted advisor” mean just a little bit more than they do in other years. Yes, in 2009, the consultants nominated by their supervisors, peers and clients had a certain aspect of hero-worship attached to them. These consultants, as it was pointed out time and time again, stepped up to the plate and came through in the clutch when their clients needed them the most.
When the economy began to bottom out in the second half of 2008, the Top 25 Consultants stood tall, read the tea leaves, rolled up their sleeves and answered the call. Oftentimes, they were forced to change the rules of engagement in mid-stride, but they did so with great success. What more could any client want in a trusted advisor relationship?
In 2009, it’s even appropriate that we’ve decided to recognize the Top 25 Consultants for extraordinary efforts in client service and leadership, as well as outstanding results in six client industries—healthcare, energy, public sector, technology, retail and financial services. In addition, we’ve also chosen what we think is the perfect year to launch our Top 25 Awards dinner and celebration to appropriately recognize their efforts.
The Top 25 Consultants, 2009
Jim Bramante, IBM Global Business Services
Bruce Barge, Buck Consultants
Michael Conover, KPMG
Claudia D’Arpizio, Bain & Company
MaryAnne Faschan, EDS
Cory Gunderson, Protiviti
John Kaltenmark, Accenture Technology Consulting
Brooks Kitchel, Kurt Salmon Associates
John Kovalchick, Proudfoot Consulting
Rich Lesser, The Boston Consulting Group
Robin Lineberger, BearingPoint
Bryan Marsal, Alvarez & Marsal
Leslie Moeller, Booz & Company
Ken Mungan, Milliman
Jacqueline Olynyk,PricewaterhouseCoopers
Laurie Oppel, Navigant Consulting
David Rodman, Hitachi Consulting
Jim Roth, Huron Consulting Group
Vance Scott, A.T. Kearney
Amy Shah, Sapient
Ed Stark, Capgemini Consulting
Ming Tsai, Infosys Consulting
Tim Wiest, Deloitte Consulting
Rob Wilhite, KEMA
Stephen Wood, Ingenix Consulting
Bob Koudelka, Deloitte Consulting
In Memoriam
Bob Koudelka was nominated posthumously by the leadership of Deloitte Consulting and is being recognized as an Honorary Top 25 Consultant for 2009 because of his impact on both the firm and the profession.
