The 2017 Global Leaders in Consulting: Dan Higgins

Ask Dan Higgins, Global Leader of EY's Technology Consulting business, What he likes about the consulting profession and his particular role and he says he "really enjoys and values the opportunity to deliver value to our clients, the ability to make a difference for their business. There is a sense of gratification and accomplishment I get from hearing a client acknowledge our impact," he says.

Along with that, Higgins will add that he enjoys the pace of the profession and the speed and acceleration of learning along with the continuous diversity of experience and opportunity.

Higgins is responsible for driving the business strategy and offerings for the practice. He also chairs the Americas Alliance Review Committee, focused on selecting and activating EY's strategic alliance ecosystem.

Higgins identifies with EY's purpose of Building a Better Working World. "As a constant filter to the way I approach my life at EY, it really does motivate me," he says. "I like to make a difference; I want to build things. I get energy from tangible and measurable outputs." Those outputs have been pretty impressive, to say the least. There are a litany of accomplishments Higgins can point to when you ask him, including the Execution and activation of EY's Alliances ecosystem, particularly in digital transformation capabilities.

There's also the global connectivity across EY's Technology Consulting practice to better serve clients/markets, methods, knowledge, community, the deployment of technology-enabled assets/solutions across its global network of EY wavespace innovation centers and the successful execution of EY's first-ever Global Technology Analyst Summit at the wavespace in New York City.

"The positive impact we have delivered for our clients using enterprise and emerging technology to help them innovate at the core and the edge," he says "And our focus on gender diversity, STEM enrichment, and evolution of our career model to reflect the workforce we want to be in the future."

Higgins' previous roles have included the Global Client Service Partner for BNY Mellon where he was accountable for the global relationship with the client. He has also served as the global sponsor for EY's alliance with SAS, a leading provider of advanced analytics software. In this capacity, he was responsible for activation of the alliance globally and across all sectors.

As far as the keys to his success, Higgins says: "The selfless time, advice and counsel of many incredible mentors over the course of my career, and, of course, the unwavering support and grounding from my wife and family."

Q&A: What does being recognized as a Global Leader in Consulting mean to you? 

Higgins: "It is a tremendous acknowledgement that I take as a very meaningful confirmation of the values I have tried to exhibit and the strategy we have been working towards as a firm. I hope that our clients see this as further evidence that they are making the right decision to continue partnering with EY on their most strategic initiatives."