The 2021 Top 25 Consultants: Steven Metzmacher

Steven Metzmacher is the Vice President for Public Sector at Publicis Sapient Australia. He has over 25 years of experience in transformation consulting including with global firms such as Arthur Andersen and KPMG, and he joined Publicis Sapient via the acquisition of Third Horizon, a successful start-up consultancy he co-founded. Steven's experience has spanned the globe including Australia & New Zealand, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US. He is focused on bringing digital innovation to transform the citizen experience and help governments make a positive and meaningful impact on communities and people's lives. His work in the public sector has spanned all major portfolios including health, education, human services, transport, immigration and defense.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

"Sticking to a professional theme, one of my greatest achievements so far has been building a team that is helping to establish Publicis Sapient as a credible digital transformation leader for government in Australia (and the region). Over the past couple of years, governments have embraced digital transformation and citizen-centric reform, even more so since the pandemic started. It has become a crowded and competitive market with many established consulting and technology firms. Publicis Sapient was a completely unknown name."

"In two years, through creating and nurturing client relationships, delivering market thought leadership, and building a sustainable practice we have established a clearly differentiable and rapidly growing presence in the market. Our team is delivering impactful work to over 15 large clients across Federal and State Government from helping with COVID response through to leading reforms around family violence and protecting vulnerable children, we are making a lasting and positive impact on the community and citizens."

What advice would you give to a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

"Two key things. Firstly, be open to all experiences and try everything. There will be fun work, dull work, difficult work, stressful work, exciting work – approach it all with a positive and learning mindset. I look back on some of the most difficult moments in my career and they are the ones I remember most fondly. Over time you will discover what motivates you and where you want to focus, but when you are starting out expose yourself to as many different experiences as possible."

"Secondly, this is a people industry so view everything through the lens of positive relationships. Learn how to engage, collaborate, influence, and build respected and trusted relationships with clients, partners, colleagues, staff and everyone you meet. Your success will be entirely dependent on other people helping you, so recognize that and, in turn, realize the impact you have on others."

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

"I am motivated by seeing others succeed, and I am driven by a desire to make an impact and my career as a consultant has enabled me to try and improve the lives of others. This is why I was drawn to the public sector as my industry of choice in the last 15 years of my career. The opportunity to help the most vulnerable in our society and generally raise the standards of living for all is a motivating force for me. I have been lucky enough to work across all major portfolios of government including health, human services, justice, education, transport, employment, immigration, veterans' services, defense and many more. The clients we serve are tasked with doing incredibly difficult and often gut-wrenching work to improve the outcomes of others and I am incredibly thankful that I have been given the opportunity to help in some way."

What does being honored as a Top 25 Consultant mean to you?

"Being honored as a Top 25 Consultant is really recognition that being a people-focused leader is the pathway to success. This honor is not for me, but for my entire team and all the people that are helping make us successful. My philosophy is simple – find amazing people, create an environment where they can thrive and then get out of their way. I am proud of the team I have recruited and managed, and the many more who help us deliver amazing digital business transformation for clients and positively impact people's lives."

What's been the biggest factor in your success?

"The biggest factor to my success has been the philosophy instilled in me from a young age that it is only through the love and support of many that any individual can succeed. This in turn has shaped how I approached my career from the very beginning and ultimately to learn how to lead. Seeing other people thrive and succeed is why I do what I do. This started off as a young consultant as taking the utmost joy in doing something, however little, for a client that made their life easier or gave them the ability to do their job better. Over time this grew into a passion for seeing the help I gave clients turn into actual and meaningful impact for their clients and customers. Then as I forged my career as a leader this grew into a focus on attracting, recruiting, nurturing and supporting staff from graduates to senior directors to help them succeed. I often tell the people that their number one job as a leader is to make themselves redundant."