Lanny Cohen serves as the global account executive for Capgemini's TimeWarner account and has also worked closely with entertainment giants Viacom and Disney during his 25 years with the firm. He recently assumed the top business development position for the firm's telecom, media, and entertainment business. Outside the firm, Cohen has taken on the role of a lifetime in directing an overhaul of the consulting profession's industry organization.
Cohen serves as chairman of the Association of Management Consulting Firms (AMCF), which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. AMCF's member firms, which include Capgemini, IBM, Watson Wyatt, PeopleSoft, IBM, Deloitte, and many other consultancies of all sizes and types, represent roughly half the total number of consultants employed by the industry's top 75 firms. Cohen believes that the recruiting effort he and other AMCF leaders have spearheaded will ultimately attract more than half of the top 75 firms.
One of the purposes of the recruiting effort is to attract new firms, such as offshore companies and the services arms of large software and hardware companies, which represent the profession's changing nature. "We've brought in firms that the association would not have thought to approach two years ago," he notes.
Cohen's passion for the AMCF's mission — to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing and to help firms run their consulting businesses better — stems from a firm belief that the consulting profession has a "rightful place" as a force for positive change, increasing productivity, and continued growth in the global economy. The association executes its mission from a platform that focuses on ethics and ethical practices, accountability, people, and leadership.
Following the corporate accounting scandals and a global downturn that was particularly punishing to consulting firms, Cohen grew concerned that the allure of his profession had dulled among new graduates and even among experienced executives. "I think that a lot of the basics flew by the wayside in the boom-boom years," he notes. "Too many people came in half-cocked. They may have had some insight in a particular area, but they often did not possess the essential qualities you want in a good consultant. I felt that the industry had some major challenges, and I thought that AMCF was clearly the platform that could drive positive change."
Cohen has helped drive improvements in Capgemini's telecom, media, and entertainment business. "It's been pretty rewarding over the past four months," he says. "We're getting sales back on track and really laying a foundation."
By helping to update and solidify the industry's foundation, Cohen is working to strengthen the profession's supporting role in propelling clients to bigger box-office success. — E.K.
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