The 2020 Rising Stars of the Profession: Matt Wills

Matt Wills pursued a dual-degree program in college, where he studied mechanical engineering and business administration. He planned on pursuing a career in engineering, but as he learned more about consulting, he says he was drawn to the idea of solving a variety of complex problems. "That's when I found ZS," he says. 

After completing his summer internship with the firm, Wills knew it was a place he could see himself for the long haul—not only because of the intellectually-stimulating projects he could tackle with some of the world's top organizations, but also having the opportunity to work on collaborative teams and learn from his curious and motivated colleagues.

One of the things he's most proud of is the partnership ZS has built with Scarsin, an enterprise forecasting software company. "Working directly with the CEO, building out the capability within ZS and seeing the results come to fruition is deeply rewarding and will make a long-term impact for the firm and for our current and future clients," he says. 

Personally, he says he's proud to be a parent and really strives to be both present at work and home. "I'm proud of the balance I've achieved so far and thankful for the flexibility ZS provides to facilitate the balancing act," he says.  

Always having a willingness to try something new has been one of the keys to his success thus far, he says. "Since joining ZS, any time I saw a skill or industry I was interested in learning about, I raised my hand—even if I didn't have direct experience," Wills says. "Doing so gave me the opportunity to meet and work with many great people across the firm and build a diverse set of skills."

What he loves most about consulting, he says, is that the work is constantly evolving and changing. "I love knowing that my work won't be the same five years from now because current and future clients will always have new challenges for us to address," Wills says. "And at ZS, I find that I'm always encouraged to push the boundaries and embrace new ways of thinking—it's truly exciting."

What's also exciting, presumably, is being recognized as one of the Rising Stars of the Profession. "Winning the Rising Stars award has given me the opportunity to reflect on all my teams and I accomplished together and acknowledge the impact of the work we're doing every day," he says. "I'm grateful to be recognized, proud of all we achieved and looking forward to what's ahead."

Q&A: What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received? 

Wills: "The best piece of advice I ever received was from a mentor who told me to always have an opinion. In our industry, companies pay us to tell them what we think and to advise, not just to show up and do their work. It's also important to apply this advice internally and have an opinion on how I can help make ZS a better place to work for current and future ZSers."