The 2011 Top 25 Consultants: Sean Culbert

From his vantage point, financial service companies have more needs now than at any point in more than twenty years. "I haven't seen anything like this since 1990, just after the S&L debacle," he says. "This is one of those 'you bet your business' years" for financial services companies. And because of the challenges in navigating the emerging global regulatory structures, "clients aren't taking their [consulting] partners lightly," he says.

Culbert draws a clear line between client needs and consulting opportunities. He strongly believes that focusing on the former will lead to successful outcomes while the latter risks incenting the wrong behavior. "I don't like to hear consultants talking about the new regulatory environment as a windfall for consultants," he says. "We're committed to helping financial services companies be successful." The rapid pace of growth being experienced by his practice is a nice confirmation of his strategy, but it is not his focus.

He'd prefer not to get distracted from his clients' once-in-a-lifetime transformations. "Roughly 75 percent of the major banks in the U.S. and U.K. see the current market environment as an extraordinary event to gain market share. The ones that really want to make money are laying bets alongside advisors," he says.

This aggressive growth model is a far cry from the incremental market share attitude that existed prior to the downturn. He says: "In 2007, attempts to gain market share was a game of inches. Companies were taking bits and pieces out of each other's backyard."

Another key to Capco's success is the firm leaders' "wisdom to attract and retain those that the industry considers to be top advisors," he says. "When you've got a culture of trust and self-confidence, then collaboration, quality and passion just come."

—J.S.