The 2022 Top Consultants: Mychal Harrison

Mychal is a leader in Huron's investment banking business, where he applies his deep functional expertise in business planning and finance strategy to guide management teams, lenders, creditors and other stakeholders through buy- and sell-side transactions. He specializes in helping stressed and distressed organizations, particularly in the industrials and consumer products industries, successfully navigate the refinancing process. Over the course of his career, Mychal has worked with leadership teams of distressed organizations to develop detailed restructuring plans and secure over $100 million in financing. In addition to providing due diligence and valuation support on strategic transactions, he has helped organizations standardize their approach to cash flow management and forecasting to increase long-term financial viability.

Before rejoining Huron in 2020, Mychal was a senior vice president in Deloitte's transactions and business analytics practice. In 2015, he was recognized by The M&A Advisor as a 40 Under 40 Emerging Leader. He is involved in multiple industry associations including the Association for Corporate Growth, the Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors (AIRA) and the Turnaround Management Association (TMA).

Mychal is a member of the Duke University board of trustees and president-elect of the Duke Alumni Association. He is also on the board of the Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors and the Beginning With Children Foundation.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

Professionally, being a recipient of the 40 Under 40 award for dealmakers by The M&A Advisor had been one of my greatest achievements to date. That honor is consistent with how I try to carry out my professional career – getting all parties to the table to come to the best solution. That often requires a lot of compromise and difficult conversations to determine what are the most important aspects of negotiation and what priorities must be addressed as part of any resolution.

Additionally, coming back to Huron as a managing director is another accomplishment that I'd highlight. Representation matters and if we are going to be a firm that reaches its true potential, it is essential that we attract, develop, retain and promote diverse talent. Being able to support the company's strategy and ensure we have the right mix of diversity in terms of thought, ideas and experiences allows us to put a team in front of a client that immediately resonates and connects, ultimately helping the client understand the Huron value proposition. People being able to see me in this role and others like me in similar roles can inspire future generations and give them the motivation to think big and to think "what can be."

Personally, I'd be remiss if I didn't share one of my greatest personal accomplishments was being named president of the Duke Alumni Association and serving on the University's board of trustees.

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

Be courageous, be adventurous and explore, and don't be afraid to fail. You can use your failures as opportunities to build yourself, to grow and sharpen your professional skills in the areas where you want have expertise. Don't be afraid to tell people what your aspirations are. There are a lot of people willing to help but they oftentimes need to know how they can help.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

I have loved the opportunity to be a problem solver and to help our clients think about their most complex and challenging problems to identify the best solutions in that moment to bring about change. Working with talented leaders has brought great joy to my consulting career. I am a firm believer in collaboration and have found that I am at my best when I am part of a team that challenges one another and pushes us beyond our comfort zone.

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

Be your authentic self, don't compromise your core values and have fun. We spend so much time trying to conform ourselves and our personalities to what we think others want but that's not who we truly are and that stymies our thoughts, our productivity, and the way we show up. If you can be yourself and stay true to your core values, never compromising your integrity – and with a little luck – you can have a long and successful career.

Also, it is important to think about what you are doing for yourself that personally nourishes you and feeds your soul.

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

It comes down to being seen and being heard. Our firm is being recognized for the work we are doing internally and externally with our clients and the commitment that our leadership team at the most senior levels has made to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have a core group of talented leaders at Huron that are focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and when I found out I had been selected I was shocked because I always view myself as part of a team and I feel this award, while I am the honoree, is a testament to all of the great work that our leadership team is doing, has done and will continue to do.