The 2018 Rising Stars of the Profession: Mathias Bombardi

Mathias Bombardi has over 13 years of strategy consulting experience helping client executives formulate growth strategies at Fortune 500 telecommunications and financial services providers. He is a leader in IBM's Digital Strategy practice where he advises executives and coaches entrepreneurs on modern business strategies and digital initiatives founded on engaging and data-driven customer experiences, disruptive business models, and new ecosystem partnerships.

"As a leader in IBM's Digital Strategy practice, I am most proud of consistently delivering forward-leaning, yet grounded perspectives in the areas of business model innovation, sales and service effectiveness, and organizational change," Bombardi says. "Additionally, I've had the pleasure to translate and see my strategic recommendations drive deep-rooted change in my clients' investments, actions, and growth."

The biggest factor of his success, he says, has been his ability to develop trust with his clients and team members. He's been able to quickly build lasting C-suite relationships in a variety of organizations across telecom and financial service industries, where he's spent the past 14 years, as well as numerous regions, from the US to Mexico, the UK, France, and Spain and Australia.

"Clients know that I will do what they need, not necessarily what they want or initially ask for," he says. "Clients know I'm focused on practical strategies; recommendations and solutions that are prescriptive and actionable—delivering measurable impact and business value in weeks and months vs. years."

He says the award marks a significant milestone for him personally, but also for IBM's Digital Strategy practice. "We have made great strides in the market, with our clients and my colleagues, having built a core of over 150 strategy consultants across multiple locations around the world."