The 2019 Rising Stars of the Profession: Matt Hennessy

Age: 32

CohnReznick's Matt Hennessy says there have been two common threads to every success he's had as a professional. First, he's had the opportunity to, and been willing to, take risks with new things and new ideas, and second, that he's had an amazing support network of mentors and teammates along the way.

"I learned early on in consulting, translating from the athletic fields in college, that individual success is only a byproduct of team success," Hennessy says.

As a strategy consultant, Hennessy says he gets the opportunity to get up every day and solve complex problems that are constantly changing, and constantly different in scale, scope, and trade.  Having not just the need, but the mandate to be at the forefront of new ideas, create the best thought leadership and solutions, and drive at new and innovative ways to lead a great business fulfills a great sense of intellectual curiosity. "I don't know of any other profession that constantly challenges you in such varied ways all the time," he says.

Hennessy says he is proud to have excelled in a field of extraordinarily talented and smart individuals. "That ability to apply the same principles in growth strategy or value creation that some of the smartest teams at top private equity funds look to us for in their portfolios to problems outside of direct client work is amazing."

Hennessy says his dad taught him from very early on that the qualities of a great leader are someone who makes good decisions and sets strong examples for others to follow.

"I think that is something that I've seen ring more true as I've spent more time as a professional and seen both great and poor leaders, but also realizing that consulting is a lot about the absence of all the information, and needing to make good, defendable decisions and acting with the information you have," he says.