The 2021 Top 25 Consultants: Greg Clayes

Greg Clayes is Managing Director of Consulting and has a passion for bringing value to customers through technology-based products and services. He is a results-driven product management and consulting leader and continually strives to deliver high-impact short-term results as well as long-term strategic plans.

Greg has strong experience with Big 4 consulting firms, startups, and technology companies, combined with a unique ability to work with multidisciplinary teams to launch projects successfully for nonprofit, internet, software, telecommunications, and e-commerce companies.

He has an MBA in Finance from the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris and a Masters in Computer Science from Polytech Montpellier.

Greg is a native French speaker and has worked in an international environment with different nationalities, countries, and companies. His wide breadth of experience brings a different perspective, and he has learned to expertly define his approach and expectations based on the people he is working with.

What does winning this award mean to you?

"Beyond the recognition, I would get for the award and the amazing work our team is doing, winning this award would show people that consulting as a career is something that can be exciting. Consulting is an industry where you can grow and it's an industry where you can work on exciting projects. I would love to show that this is a real path for many people and a real possibility for those who have never worked in consulting."

"Also, this award is not just recognition for me, but it is a chance to recognize the other people on my teams who are producing amazing results for our clients. I am lucky to be surrounded by amazing people who help me to grow and help me to enjoy my work to the fullest."

What's been the biggest factor in your success?

"The biggest contributing factor to my success is always people. You can grow quickly and enjoy what you do because you've got strong people around you. When I think about building teams, it's almost like we are building a school. You're training and coaching people to a certain level where you can start to scale not only your teams but the employees around you. That's part of the success. It's scaling up the people around you and taking them to the next level in their careers."

"I would also attribute my success to a few other factors, the first being creativity. There is creativity needed for every project we work on in consulting. You need to be creative to solve your clients' problems, but in a way that you can actually deliver the solution. I always consider how we can build a creative, robust solution that will be impactful for our clients and our client's clients."

"Additionally, I believe thinking at various different levels has allowed me to see the big picture and better serve our clients. It's not just delivering a project; it's considering the expectations of everyone from the shareholders and what they're expecting, all the way down to the clients of our clients and what would make them happy. Thinking at different levels from the shareholder, to the delivery teams, to the clients of the clients, and so on… It's combining those multiple points of view and connecting the dots that will make each project successful."

What has motivated you to excel over the course of your career?

"Consulting is like a puzzle. You've got a problem and you need to solve it. You have all your tools, your methodology, your experience, and your team's expertise. Then you also must consider that each project and each client are unique. We do custom work for our clients so each one has unique needs, timelines, concerns, and situations. Figuring out how we can combine all of these items and create a unique solution that achieves their goal has motivated me to keep going and work harder."

"Another thing that has motivated me throughout my career is the pride I feel when helping our clients. When you see you are making an impact and really helping their business, you feel proud of the work you did and the impact you've had. Whether it's helping a specific client to be promoted, to become a leader in the market, or getting them out of a very difficult situation, you're helping to elevate a business to the next level. Even if you are doing all the work from the shadows and your name isn't mentioned in the celebration, the pride and the long-term relationships that are formed make it all worth it."

"Finally, the teams I work with motivate me to keep going. I am surrounded by great teams doing awesome work. Not only are my teams and my clients the biggest factor in my success but they are also my greatest motivator."