I always enjoy this issue where we turn our attention to the future. This Rising Stars of the Profession package every year is inspiring. No offense at all to those my age and older who have helped shape the management consulting profession into all that it is today. They have led, and continue to lead, their practices, firms and clients through some extraordinary times. And for that, we are grateful, to  say the least. And no worries, there will be plenty of time, space and square inches in Consulting magazine devoted exclusively to your achievements in 2020.

But, for now, we've been there, done that. OK, boomer? (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

So now we turn our attention to the profession's promise of a new day as we unveil this year's Rising Stars of the Profession class. And what a class it is! We've always highlighted 35 Under 35 but something odd happened this year: Our nominations for the award almost doubled. While competition makes the list grow stronger, our editorial committee noticed that folks that clearly would've been on the list previous years were too often being overlooked. 

We had a bit of dilemma on our hands. We opted to expand the honorees by creating the Ones To Watch, a listing of 20 additional consultants under the age of 35—and most much younger—that deserved to be called out and recognized. That listing can be found on Page 49. Although we couldn't tell their stories like we do with the Rising Stars of the Profession, we could put them on our—and everyone else's—radar to keep an eye on because we are confident they will continue to do great things. 

As a result, we shine a light on 55 consultants from 55 different consulting firms who are under the age of 35 and making a huge impact across the profession. And, we're thrilled to report, with confidence, that the future of the consulting profession is strong. You can read all about it in the 42-page section beginning on page 8.

Joseph Kornik Publisher & Editor-in-Chief jkornik@alm.com 

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