The 2021 Global Leaders in Consulting: Ian Tzeng

Ian Tzeng is a Managing Director and Partner in L.E.K. Consulting's Boston office. He has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare and life sciences, spanning pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical devices. He also has deep subject matter expertise in areas like rare diseases, biodefense, biosimilars and generics, and consumer-directed healthcare.

Eight years ago, when Tzeng was still working with clients on the therapeutic side of healthcare, he spotted the potential in an inconspicuous but dynamic sector of the world economy, around which he began organizing what eventually became the firm's Pharmaceutical Contract Services practice.

Under his leadership, the practice has grown from five projects in 2015 to 100 projects in 2020. His work has taken him across Latin America, Asia, and Europe in collaboration with partners in global L.E.K. offices. Today, 40 percent of his projects involve people outside the U.S.

Of his greatest professional achievements, Tzeng said the one he's most proud of has been overseeing the firm become a trusted biotech firm.

"In the 1980s and early '90s, before I joined, L.E.K. had no brand name, no reputation, and no clients. We worked with clients that nobody else would take, and our first clients became the eight pioneers in the biotech industry. Today, we've become the go-to people for biotech; I regularly get calls from new pharma services clients who were told they should work with us. It's been gratifying to become a premier healthcare brand," he says.

When it comes to identifying the biggest keys to his success, he touted L.E.K.'s global reach, and the firm's ongoing commitment to investment in its people.

"The work that I do is inherently global, and we're always looking to our global capability and global experience to assist clients. L.E.K. is unique in that across all of our sectors and subsectors, we're the only company who works globally. We have one practice, not three practices. Now we have one of the best pharmaceutical services practices on the planet. It's always been about building our practice and investing in our team, and to do that, we need to have a global perspective," he says.

Q&A: What does it mean for you, your firm and your clients to be named a Global Leader in Consulting? 

"The industry that I'm in—healthcare and pharmaceuticals—is inherently global, and it's become more intertwined and complex. Because of that complexity, global healthcare can be difficult to manage. For our clients and L.E.K., being able to help with that is significant. It's great to be a part of a more intertwined world, and being able to assist with the challenges and complications of global healthcare."