Dr. Robin Cantor
Berkeley Research Group, LLC
Excellence in Leadership
Dr. Robin Ann Cantor is a managing director in Berkeley Research Group's Washington, DC, office. She has a Ph.D. in economics from Duke University and a B.S. in mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cantor has more than 30 years of experience in environmental, health, and energy economics, applied economics, statistics, risk management, and insurance claims analysis. Before joining BRG, Dr. Cantor led practice groups at Exponent, Inc., and Navigant Consulting; and assisted companies and financial institutions with analysis to better understand environmental, health, and other product liability exposures. She has also acted as a principal and managing director of the Environmental and Insurance Claims Practice at LECG, LLC; and program director for Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences, a research program of the National Science Foundation; and held senior research appointments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?
"My greatest personal and professional achievement is the positive, visible career growth of many of the junior colleagues whom I have actively encouraged with my view of leadership. Creating opportunities for marginalized or junior colleagues to publish, present a talk at national or international conferences, build collaborations with seasoned experts, testify as the expert on a matter for the first time, or take charge of an important client relationship is not only incredibly rewarding, it is fundamental to the continued vitality of our industry."
What's the best advice—consulting or otherwise—you've ever received?
"The best advice that I received occurred when I left a program director position at the National Science Foundation for a position as a consultant with a firm called Law and Economics Consulting Group. I wasn't in my new position very long, and I felt very much like a fish out of water, having had almost no experience with litigation support in my then current career experiences. In a conversation with one of my external mentors, I expressed my sense of disorientation and fear regarding the decision to alter my career path dramatically. My mentor told me that I should never take or keep a job that didn't scare me, that a bit of fear was the best way to know that my new position would challenge and motivate me to keep learning and excel. Once I heard this perspective on my concerns, I never viewed any job challenge in a negative light, only as a constructive building block for professional growth."
What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?
"When I joined the Women's Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE), I belonged to other professional societies, but I quickly learned that having a professional resource specifically focused on providing opportunities for women's leadership and building my network of trusted advisors was a powerful catalyst for my consulting career. So my advice to female consultants just beginning their careers is to "find your WCEE." Such professional resources are important for the good and bad times in one's career development, for the mixing of seasoned and junior professionals, and for elevating recognition of female perspectives."
What does being honored as a Woman Leader in Consulting mean to you?
"It is humbling and rewarding to be nominated by my colleagues for this award. It is a great honor for me to be recognized by the professional consulting community."
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