Future Leader Award
Jane Wanklyn
A.T. KearneyJane Wanklyn is a director in the Procurement & Analytic Solutions practice of A.T. Kearney, a job description that’s usually reserved for males. “Corporate buyers and corporate procurement departments have been traditionally male-dominated—particularly in my background of plant production.”
But she says she doesn’t feel she’s faced any insurmountable challenges being a woman. In fact, her practice within A.T. Kearney is 40 percent female, a statistic of which Wanklyn is particularly proud. “During recruiting events, I talk about our firm’s diversity teams like the Women’s Consulting Network and our flexible work program to help female candidates feel comfortable. I have seen a large increase in qualified female graduates, but it’s still a challenge to maintain this ratio.”
Wanklyn has over 15 years of procurement and consulting experience working with global manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceutical and information technology companies. Her projects to date have resulted in consistent client savings by addressing complex supplier relationships and routinely exceed clients’ objectives.
“I love that there’s nothing monotonous about consulting work—there’s always a new client, a new solution, and a new environment,” she says. I am lucky to be in a situation where I work with a diverse group of very intelligent people who are passionate about delivering exceptional work.”
While Wanklyn says she’s extremely proud of her career thus far, one accomplishment, or perhaps two, trumps them all. “I am most proud of my two children—Laura is two-and-a-half years old and Michael is six months—and the achievement of balancing the high demands of the consulting lifestyle, with the home-life demands of being “mommy.”
—Joe Kornik
