The 2020 Fastest Growing Firms: Maven Wave

Consulting: What were the main factors that contributed to your firm's exceptional growth?

Jennings: Overall, Maven Wave attributes its growth to a few key factors including: The rapid adoption of cloud computing by the world's largest corporations, the strategic use of big data across the whole value chain, the unique insight gained from sophisticated machine learning models, Maven Wave's deep relationship with Google Cloud (we've been named Google Cloud North America Services Partner of the Year for the past three years in a row), the incredible team and company culture behind the brand

Consulting: How is this year shaping up for your firm?

Jennings: The first half of 2020 presented unforeseen challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we couldn't be more proud of how our team has powered through this time of uncertainty with so much grace, determination and creativity to support both our clients and one another. We've been riding an exponential growth wave since mid-2015, and this year has been no exception. We kicked off the year by celebrating our acquisition by Atos – and since the acquisition, we've continued to serve our clients in the Maven Wave way with forward-thinking solutions and the X-Factor team our clients have come to trust. Now a part of the Atos family, we've been able to take on even bigger challenges and drive change faster, which has become critical in our unique, new environment.

Consulting: How would you describe your firm's outlook for 2021? Where do you see the most opportunities?

Jennings: In last year's submission, we spoke about the era of "smart everything" and the burgeoning world of data analytics and machine learning – and the truth is, the industry has only scratched the surface where those topics are concerned. Also, we're in the middle of a heavy adoption period for hybrid IT and multi-cloud strategies, and Google partners are well-positioned with the powerful Anthos platform behind us. We see opportunities to help organizations across all verticals, including manufacturing and life sciences. Certainly, we're hopeful that our work in the healthcare and GCP infrastructure arenas will continue to grow given the current climate. And now, as a part of the Atos family, we anticipate even more demand across locations, verticals, company types and sizes, etc.

Consulting: What would you say are your firm's biggest challenges in 2021?

Jennings: It's probably safe to say that, for all companies, the pandemic has presented some sort of challenge that will last into 2021. For Maven Wave, we've been fortunate to experience high demand for many of our COVID-19 rapid response solutions, including telehealth offerings G Suite deployments to enable remote working. So then, the challenges that follow include maintaining consistency and hiring the right talent to keep up with that demand in the Maven Wave way. As a consulting firm nestled in a booming, tech-driven Chicago, it's no secret that the competition is fierce when it comes to attracting the best and most unique talent, especially when you're looking for talent who possess the "X-factor" that all of our Mavens have. (X-factor is that unteachable quality that draws other people in, encourages them to work a little harder, and collaborate a little better. Technical expertise and business acumen are important, yes, but likeability, magnetism, and charisma are critical. Clients want to work with people they like, and if they like working with us, they'll want us to go deeper and help more.)

Consulting: What does being named a Fastest Growing Firm mean to your firm, employees and clients?

Jennings: We've been fortunate enough to land on Consulting Magazine's Fastest Growing Firms list for the past five years and it's truly an honor each time. Last year was especially exciting for us as we placed in the top 25% of the rankings. As much as we love talking about our company culture – we do know that the proof is in the pudding. We know that to keep up with the best consulting brands in the world, you have to have the numbers to reflect that. The Fastest Growing Firms list gives us a great opportunity to showcase Maven Wave's impressive year-over-year revenue growth to our employees and our clients – ultimately boosting our brand's reputation, but also improving our employee acquisition and retention efforts, which is a top priority.