The 2020 Top 25 Consultants: François Mallette

Mallette is a Managing Director and Partner in L.E.K.'s Boston office. He leads the Americas' Private Equity practice and is a member of L.E.K.'s Americas Regional Management Committee. He also leads the Americas' Automotive practice. He has more than 25 years of experience in assisting financial sponsors and strategic buyers in evaluating their investment opportunities, and valuation, as well as developing strategic and operational enhancements for portfolio companies in North America, South America, Europe, Japan and China.

"It's been an incredible, unexpected experience," he says. "I have worked with many clients over the years, but I'm most proud of the work we have done with private equity firms. In the early 2000s, we had occasional PE clients, but once we started to organize the practice and focus on their unique set of needs, we really hit our stride and were able to grow L.E.K.'s Private Equity practice—it's now a major contributor to the success of our firm."

Mallette says he is motivated by successful outcomes. "We work with clients who challenge us and collaborate with us to get to the right insights that allow them to invest large amounts of money," he says. "We want them to succeed and we want the beneficiaries of the funds they represent to succeed. I am constantly challenged to learn new things. I'm challenged by the issues clients need to address, I'm challenged by our consulting professionals who are full of ideas and I'm challenged to continue to drive L.E.K.'s position in the market."

Mallette says we are facing difficult times; COVID-19 is a humanitarian and economic crisis. "From an L.E.K. perspective, I continue to look forward to working with our clients and with our team across the Americas to help them deal with the downturn and get back to a better place as soon as possible."

And as far as far as winning a Top 25 Consultants award, Mallette says he is "thrilled to be recognized for his career achievements. "This award win gives me the opportunity to reflect on the path I've travelled and the road ahead. I hope it also serves to motivate the people I work with."

Q&A:  What's been the biggest factor to your success?

Mallette: It's simple — I work in an industry that I really enjoy. I have been interested in, and involved with, M&A throughout my career. I like the transformative nature of M&A, the pace of deals, the analytical requirements and strategic challenges they represent. By far, however, the real factor that has driven my success is the team we have built at L.E.K. We have sector expertise and we have teams that know how to analyze the most niche of markets to get to the key issues our clients need to understand. My achievements are the achievements of all the talented men and women who have allowed us to build strong client relationships based on the support we provide them.