Future Leader Award
Gordana Radmilovic
Manager
West Monroe Partners
Gordana Radmilovic is a Manager in West Monroe Partners' Advanced Analytics practice. With six years of experience, she focuses on delivering results with integrity, something she credits for her success in the consulting industry.
"Ethics and integrity are vital to being a good leader. How you respond to hard decisions in life and work builds character," she says. "If you don't have the integrity to practice what you preach, you can't be a successful leader. Making the right decisions not only paves the way for your career but also serves as a model for those who look up to you."
Truly passionate about developing and engaging people, Radmilovic dedicates a large part of her time to mentoring younger consultants and is also a leader on West Monroe's Women's Committee.
"People are our greatest asset in consulting, and this fully aligns with my values. I love the people side of our business, especially the opportunities to mentor and coach others," she says. "I've been fortunate enough to have great mentors, and I've seen the value of a strong mentor first hand."
As Radmilovic has taken on leadership roles, she says she is always sure to pay it forward—to engage with her mentees and colleagues about their aspirations, to share things she's learned along the way, and to help people identify ways to propel their careers through experiences that she's had.
Those experiences are vast, and impressive. Radmilovic lead complex, multi-million dollar transformational engagements for Fortune 500 companies across various industries—Insurance, Healthcare, M&D, and Private Equity. "I knew I needed a more challenging, fast-paced environment, which is how I discovered the consulting profession," she says. "I realized management consulting would offer me the variety and challenge that I was looking for while allowing me to gain exposure to all facets of business."
She also supports clients through visioning and strategy definition phases, she pays particular attention to aligning the organization's values with their vision, which accelerates change adoption and ensures success.
"For me, my greatest achievement is having stayed true to who I am as I've advanced in my career. I've had to make some tough decisions at times, but I've made those based on what's important to me," Radmilovic says. "I'm happy to say that I've been able to have a fulfilling personal life as well as a career that challenges me—while remaining true to myself."
As far winning the Women Leaders in Consulting award, she says "being recognized in our community is a tremendous honor. But what I really hope is that by winning this award, I can reach and inspire other young female consultants, some of whom I may not have had the opportunity to meet just quite yet."
What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?
"When we're starting out, we have a tendency to focus on the tasks we need to do to accelerate our careers and climb the ladder, and we don't focus as much on relationships—but those are just as important, if not more important, than performing tasks well. So I advise women beginning their careers in consulting to invest in their relationships and connections both in and out of the firm. Remember that we all need a community of support at various times in our lives."
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