The 2020 Top 25 Consultants: Rebecca Burack

"I'm most proud of the Private Equity practice at Bain. We continue to be on the forefront of the industry in how we innovate and bring value to clients. I'm proud of the clients we get to partner with—world-class firms who are often on the leading edge of innovation in support of the companies they invest in and their own business," she says. "And I'm proud that we are far and away the leader in the Private Equity consulting space."

Burack is also a leader in the firm's Infrastructure, Construction & Building Products sector within the global Advanced Manufacturing & Services practice where she works with leading manufacturers and distributors in the building systems and controls, building materials and MRO sectors to develop growth strategies and full potential plans. Her areas of expertise include commercial excellence, growth strategy, sales excellence, pricing, distribution strategies and performance improvement.

Burack's biggest motivator has always been that at the end of the day, she just really like what she does. "I find it endlessly interesting and compelling. I like the clients that I serve and I like the people that I work with," she says. "I can't help but do the best for them."

She says she's most enjoyed the opportunity to work in such a wide variety of industries, on such a wide variety of projects. Burack began her career in consulting working with large industrial conglomerates and now works with PE funds and portfolio companies. "As a lifelong learner, I love the chance to team with my colleagues and our clients to work both in areas where I have worked for 20 years and in new areas," she says.

Burack says the next 12 months are sure to be a turbulent and constantly changing time, and says she thinks leveraging the innovation that social distancing and economic turbulence forces us to use will be the most interesting.

"We will have the opportunity, the need, to retool businesses for a changed world," Burack says. "That means understanding how industries will evolve and how people and businesses need to adapt propositions, capabilities and ways of working to thrive."

As far as winning Consulting's Top 25 Consultants award, Burack says it's an honor to even be recognized by her peers in the industry. "To be acknowledged among such an esteemed group of nominees is truly humbling," she says. "There are no individual accomplishments in consulting, and I have a hugely talented team that has helped me get to where I am today. I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to them as well."

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

Burack: My success has not been achieved alone. I have succeeded through teaming with others—both exceptional clients and exceptional colleagues at Bain. This is not an individual profession. Everything that we achieve as a group is through collaborative effort.