The 2019 Top 25 Consultants: Mark Kovac

"I'm incredibly proud of leading the evolution of our Commercial Excellence group from its initial focus on B2B and B2C salesforce effectiveness to encompass a broader set of go-to-market capabilities, including pricing and marketing, with a more concentrated focus in the B2B space," Kovac says. "Amid that transition, the team has also grown considerably."

Within the last five years, the CE group has experienced an 11 percent growth rate, he says. It is now the largest solution within the Customer Strategy & Marketing practice, representing one-third of the practice's business and including 160 experts around the world.

Additionally, the group has emerged as one of the firm's trailblazers in developing third-party partnerships with digital tool and application providers to further enhance Bain & Company's capabilities, Kovac says. 

"I'm motivated to have impact and help deliver results for our clients—life is too short to not feel like you're having impact," Kovac says. "Second, helping build our Commercial Excellence capabilities and team, and seeing our success in the market, is a huge source of energy. Third, I'm also energized by the success of others on the Commercial Excellence team and what they are able to achieve by drawing on our collective experiences and collaborating with their clients."

Kovac says he gets the most enjoyment from building long-term relationships—and friendships—with his clients. "Being part of someone's career journey and helping along the way is incredibly satisfying to me," he says. "Clients are busy and have complex businesses to run. I have found that cutting to the chase with extremely practical and prescriptive recommendations substantially increases the odds that clients will take action."

As far as being named one of the Top 25 Consultants, Kovac says the award is less of a personal accomplishment and more of a recognition of his colleagues in the Commercial Excellence group who have worked hard to create a leadership position for the firm in this area. "That said, I'm truly humbled by this recognition because it comes from my peers—those in the industry who know how challenging a profession consulting can be."

What's the best advice you've ever received? 

Kovac: "The best advice I've received was from Bain senior partner, Stan Pace: "Think about Bain as a platform to pursue your professional and personal passions."  This totally changed my perspective about building my career at Bain.  For example, I joined the board of Vogel Alcove, (a personal passion) because the mission of this charity is consistent with Bain's social impact strategy to improve the future of underserved children.  Similarly, I was able to shape Bain's practice area strategy to carve out a focus on B2B Commercial Excellence (a professional passion)."