The 2019 Global Leaders in Consulting: Reto Isenegger

Recently, EY was recognized as one of the market leaders both for Business Strategy & Planning Consulting and Portfolio & Capital Strategy Consulting. "This demonstrates the significant achievements made by our Strategy consulting practice and the value delivered to clients," Isenegger says. "This has been achieved by enriching a classical approach to strategy consulting with a 'future-back' business re-invention perspective."

He says although it may sound like a cliché, handing over a business that he has left in better shape than when he took it over makes him feel as though he's thriving. "Succeeding in complex client or business development issues with a great team of people to work with is inspiring, so I have chosen to focus on mandates rather than roles and it has served me well—it gives me the energy to go the extra mile," Isenegger says. "It is an exciting combination of working with clients and leading and growing a business at the same time."

For clients, EY brings value by delivering insights, being inspirational in the way the firm defines its recommendations and most importantly, supporting them in executing their strategic roadmaps beyond just PowerPoint slides. "In addition to client work, as a leader and a part of a strong partnership, I get the opportunity to build a business alongside the other partners," he says. "This makes it almost impossible to be bored in strategy consulting!"

Looking at the bigger picture and the arc of his entire career, Isenegger has more than 25 years of experience in strategy development and strategic transformation—both in line management and consulting. 

"I am lucky to have worked for great firms and mentors that had the courage and faith to offer me challenging tasks early on in my career," he says. "These mentors allowed me to develop my skills and experience in building and inspiring strong teams to execute client projects and build businesses. Additionally, my role as a senior executive for a large bank—before and after the financial crisis—facilitated my view of consulting from a client's perspective.

As far as being a Global Leader, Isenegger says winning the award in execution excellence is first and foremost, by definition, a recognition of the fantastic work done by the global Strategy consulting team. "Without a top-notch team behind a leader and an idea, execution is most likely not going to end up in excellence," he says. 

Q&A:  What achievements/accomplishments are you most proud of over the course of your career?

"I have delivered a serial stream of entrepreneurial business growth throughout my consulting career. From the first acquired client project as an independent consultant during my years of study to developing key international accounts with consulting firms. Since then I have led and grown an office, and now I am shaping and developing an international strategy consulting practice at EY. "