Helen Chen
L.E.K. Consulting
Excellence in Engagement
Helen Chen has a reputation as the "go-to-person for China life sciences and healthcare." It was a hard-won reputation, she says, and took decades of engagement, keeping up with the market changes, and expanding the network and knowledge base.
"I am sure all the consulting partners put in a ton of work to reach the levels they do. For me, that effort is in a large part enabled by my husband, who considered my career a success factor for our family and supported me throughout the years," Chen says. "A big part of my motivation is that I don't want to let my partners and my team down. We have been through a lot of ups and downs together. I imagine, though, some of that drive must come from within, and brought out by the external influences."
Chen is a Greater China Managing Partner of L.E.K. Consulting and based in Shanghai. She was a member of L.E.K.'s Global Leadership Team from 2012 to 2016 and is currently head of L.E.K.'s China and Asia Biopharmaceuticals & Life Sciences practice and a Director of the firm's Asia-Pacific Life Sciences Centre of Excellence.
She has extensive case work and industry experience covering the full biopharmaceutical and medical devices value chain. Helen has 30 years of consulting and industry experience in the U.S. and Asia markets and has resided in China since 2000. She helps companies expand their presence in China and leverages China's resources to improve their global businesses.
"I love the fact that my energy is given to clients and helping them with the insights that drive impact for the organization," Chen says. "It is almost always in areas that are hard for them to execute internally and in which we can bring some real, sustainable value."
This is very different, she says, from when she was in industry where so much time is spent churning through internal meetings. "I am very proud of being able to make Partner at a strategy firm like L.E.K., succeeding in a market that is not my native land and after returning to consulting after years in industry."
Chen says it is obviously an honor to be recognized as a Global Leader in Consulting, and one she certainly wasn't expecting. "It's a great confirmation of L.E.K. as a global strategy firm to be recognized in all regions including Asia where we have focused on establishing L.E.K. as a top-tier firm that continues to attract a growing number of clients," Chen says. "Being recognized as a global leader also validates my clients' decision, knowing that their advisor is definitely on the up and up!"
Q&A: What achievements/accomplishments are you most proud of in the last 12 months?
"I handed over the reins of being head of L.E.K. China to one of my partners who joined our practice as an Associate a month after I started and whose career I've watched, groomed, and supported over the years. It was gratifying to know that what we are able to build here in a growing practice has taken root and can be sustained. This exceeded the level of excitement I had when I took over the practice head role back in 2011."
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.