The 2022 Top Consultants: Gil Mermelstein

A professional and entrepreneur in the consultant and financial services industry with 25 years of experience, Gil is a West Monroe board member, managing partner and the firm's next chief operating officer. When Gil joined West Monroe in 2010, he was employee No. 1 in New York. Since then, he's transformed the New York office into one of West Monroe's largest. He built several industry and horizontal practices in the New York market and increased revenue by more than 50% annually over the last five years.

He is a trusted adviser to financial institutions and leading private equity firms, using his expertise to guide our clients through rapid industry shifts. He brings a strong track record for developing and executing growth opportunities and successful transformations combining strategic, operational and digital expertise.

As a testament to the strong culture Gil has built, West Monroe is consistently on the Crain's "Best Places to Work in New York City" list. Gil is a member of the Partnership for New York City.

Gil joined West Monroe from BearingPoint Europe. He has a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an MBA from INSEAD in France.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

My proudest achievement is playing a pivotal role along with my colleagues in growing West Monroe to what it is today. When I joined the firm in 2010, there were fewer than 150 employees. Today, we are more than 2,000 strong and continuing to experience rapid growth. Additionally, when I joined, I was employee No. 1 in New York and the East Coast. Since then, I've transformed the New York office into one of West Monroe's largest—building several industry and horizontal practices in the New York market. But this isn't just about our New York office. I was a key part of our overall growth journey as an executive developing clients, markets and industries while also serving on the company's Board to guide the firm to its success.

The biggest recognition of our growth was receiving the strategic growth investment from MSD Partners, a leading investment advisor founded by the partners of MSD Capital, the family investment office for Michael Dell, Founder & CEO of Dell Technologies. This really signified how far the firm has come and I am excited for what's to come.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

The impact I've had on my clients. There's nothing better than leading a client through a difficult engagement and seeing them ultimately win and succeed in the market—not just financially but doing it the right way so that it's sustainable and everyone can see the benefits, from the middle level employees up to the C-Suite. There's a huge sense of pride that myself and the team had a hand in their success.

Equally the comradery I've built with my colleagues throughout the course of my career is also something that I love about consulting. Consulting is truly a team sport and being able to work with such intelligent and inspiring peers drives me forward. The shared success and pride that comes with successfully tackling a difficult client issue is unmatched. The tougher the challenge, the more satisfaction and the more enriched the culture becomes.

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

The number one piece of advice I'd give someone just starting out in consulting is to focus on the people element of change. What I mean by this is the consulting industry as a whole is very dedicated to analytical problem-solving, which is a very important skill to have. However, almost any decision or recommendation we give as consultants impacts our client's people. To truly have a sustainable impact, those people that department that business unit, for example, must accept and embrace the change. Bring people along with your recommendations.

What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received?

Smile often. Dean Fischer, co-founder of West Monroe, relayed this advice over my first lunch meeting at the firm back in 2010. As consultants, we face many tough situations, but smiling and having an appropriate level of humor can diffuse most tough situations and cultivate strong relationships.

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

I appreciate the recognition and trust that West Monroe has continued to place in me. Client service and success has been my focus for many years at West Monroe, and by joining the leadership team, I was able to align client service with the development of the firm leading to an extraordinary growth story for the firm. My success is West Monroe's success – and that brings me a lot of pride.