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- »One on One with Ed Hess
Grow or Die. It’s probably the most common business axiom, and the least accurate, according to the new book “Smart Growth: Building an Enduring Business by Managing the Risks of Growth” (Columbia Business School Publishing). To better understand the book’s implications for firms, Consulting’s One-on-One sat down with the book’s author, Ed Hess, a former Arthur Andersen strategy consultant and current professor at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business.
- »One on One with Summit's David Litherland
When prospective employees interview for a job, they obsess over making a good, lasting impression. Firms should do the same. To learn how firms can avoid typical pitfalls, Consulting’s One on One sat down with David Litherland, managing partner of Summit Search Group, an executive search firm specializing in placing professionals within professional service firms.
- »One on One with PwC's Tom Craren
Senior executives are becoming immune to traditional marketing. Marketing consultants tell us that to pierce through the white noise of corporate communication, firms should consider “content marketing”. Instead of more traditional marketing, providing valuable insight and perspective in a blog or electronic newsletter can serve as a more effective door opener. One of the best examples is PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “10-Minute” series. For almost three years, PwC has boiled down complex thought leadership into small electronic pieces an executive can read in about ten minutes. To learn more about PwC’s marketing efforts, Consulting’s One-on-One sat down with Tom Craren, the firm’s brand strategy and thought leadership leader. His team of 20 writers produces between two to three 10-minute pieces each month, along with more detailed white papers.
- »One on One with Stanford Hospital's Kate Surman
Transitioning healthcare companies from paper to electronic records presents huge consulting opportunities.
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2009
»Top 25 Consultants, 2009: Ed Stark
 Ed Stark
Global Supply Chain Practice Leader
Capgemini Consulting
Excellence in Client Service
It’s fair to say that Ed Stark is heavily invested in his clients. As the global supply chain practice leader for Capgemini Consulting, Stark spends plenty of time trying to figure out the best course of action for his clients, but he always starts out an engagement the same way.
“The first thing I do is buy stock in that client’s company,” Stark says. “I mean, that’s what I’m there to do, right? Improve the market value of that client.”
Stark has been working in and around supply chains his entire career, with two stints each in industry and consulting. “I came from industry and I worked with consultants a lot, and I never liked the ones I felt were just trying sell me a product,” Stark says.
“I think that’s a big advantage for me,” he says. “When I speak to a client, I’ve been on both sides of the table and am truly there to offer solutions, not sell a consulting service.”
One such client was American Greetings. The program initially focused on IT services, and Stark progressed to implement a full business transformation for American Greetings, and began providing other value-adds such as deep insight into the culture of operating in other regions such as China and India.
“Plenty of firms are [only] great at telling clients what to do, but that’s not us,” Stark says. “Because I was on the other side I understand how important the implementation and solutions side of the business is—clients want results.”
Those results speak for themselves. For one client, Stark helped dramatically restructure an ailing manufacturing division and improved the bottom line from a 15 percent net loss to a 13 percent net operating gain within 12 months—all while increasing revenue 25 percent.
Stark has been instrumental in building a supply chain and procurement consulting practice in North America and Europe, and has delivered—on average—19 percent savings per client. “Even in these tough times, clients are still buying our services, and that’s says a lot, I think, about the value we bring to the table,” Stark says.
—Joseph Kornik
>> Full list of Top 25 Consultants 2009
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