Pat Milligan
Senior Partner
Mercer
Excellence in Leadership
After a 25 year consulting career, Pat Milligan, a Senior Partner and President of Mercer's Talent, Rewards and Communication Group, had one of the biggest highlights of her professional career in 2011 when she was the Project Advisor for the World Economic Forum's Practicing Talent Mobility for Economic Growth project.
"One of the single biggest causes of unrest and upheaval—both socially and politically—is unemployment and the inability to match the workers to work that is available," Milligan says. "The World Economic Forum had spent the last three years tackling that issue and is very focused on solving this problem. How to inspire disparate groups with very different motives to collaborate to solve this problem was the single driving force behind the research."
The successful outcome of what she refers to as a "research in motion" project has enabled a global community of leaders to connect, educate and share information to drive a common agenda, she says.
Since 2009, she has also led a global team that provides evidence-based, end-to-end solutions in human capital strategy, rewards, talent management and operations and technology solutions to clients in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, energy, financial services, and professional services. In addition, Milligan is a member of Mercer's Executive and Operating committees.
"While it is an honor to be recognized for leadership, it also reflects Mercer's belief that a key component of a senior partner's responsibility is leadership, the ability to be a mentor to others, and the ability to create a client-driven collaborative environment," Milligan says.
"This is especially important in consulting, where we are selling intellectual insights and solutions. Therefore this award is more than an individual honor. It's one that reflects positively on Mercer as a firm and which clients recognize and applaud."
As far as the inspiration, Milligan says it's the "variety of issues you are asked to solve, and the diverse people and clients." There's always a different set of issues or the same issues that need to be approached from a completely different angle. "I'm never bored," she says.
Milligan says she is proud of how she and her husband have raised two sons in the face of demanding careers. Their sons both recently graduated from college and are beginning their careers. "I know that some of what they carry with them is what they learned from watching me juggle work and family priorities."
Q&A: What motivates you to excel?
"To borrow a phrase from Oprah Winfrey, 'what I know for sure' is that, being willing to take a risk, being inquisitive, being creative and having imagination are the bedrocks that have allowed me to excel. Throughout my 25 year career, one of my biggest motivations has been to surround myself with smart people who want my job. It's an opportunity not only to mentor and coach and pass on valuable lessons to the next generation of leaders but also to learn from them and remain open to new ideas."
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