The 2017 Global Leaders in Consulting: Andrew Smith

Over the past 12 months, Andrew Smith has been focused on establishing product management as a core practice in the firm, growing it from a small team to a full studio.

"Traditional consultancies have done a great job supporting clients' needs around strategy, UX, and business analysis, but my colleagues and I saw a real gap in how agencies support an integrated approach to product definition, development, and launch," Smith says. "We've borrowed some of the best product management methodologies from companies like Facebook and Google to create better products and, ultimately, happier clients."

Smith oversees L4 Digital's product consulting team, which focuses on helping some of the most recognized brands in media, healthcare, and consumer electronics develop digital strategies and bring products to market. He has brought an approach to L4 that combines product management, user experience research, and market research, with a deep technical understanding of emerging systems and platforms to inform market leading products and experiences.

"In product management, we understand that accomplishments belong to our clients. I have been fortunate to contribute to many compelling, transformative products and projects, but the most meaningful in the past twelve months has been the definition and launch of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance's Caresi application," he says. "Caresi offers cancer patients a new way to engage with their care, and to experience SCCA's philosophy of care, even when they're not at a treatment center. The SCCA team did diligent work to really understand patients' needs; crafting an experience that would meet those needs made real improvements during a highly challenging period in a person's life."

Smith says he has been fortunate to work with incredibly talented colleagues and clients, whether in engineering, design, or strategy, and his success is directly attributable to their work. "I have been an effective collaborator across those domains because, while I have experience and familiarity with each, I also respect the depth that they bring to the table," he says. "In addition, proactively taking the time to understand and communicate challenges and opportunities across disciplines turns potential frustrations into collaborative, problem solving exercises."

Prior to joining L4, he led digital product initiatives at Nintendo and Microsoft. "The opportunity to talk with a broad range of incredibly smart, passionate professionals is immensely satisfying. I work with clients on products and strategies that are central to their professional worlds, and about which they are incredibly passionate," Smith says. "That passion is contagious and drives me to learn and share my own experience and knowledge."

As far as being a Global Leader, he says "it's a great honor, and validates our approach to product consulting. It is gratifying to clients to know they are participating in innovative methodologies."

Q&A: What motivates you to excel?

Smith: "People. Designing something new or innovative is exciting, but understanding a product's impact on both the users of that product and those building it is much more motivating to me."