The 2022 Women Leaders in Consulting: Hiral Nisar

Hiral is a Sr. Manager in Chainalytics' Supply Chain Design competency. At Chainalytics, she has advised a long list of multinationals, in a wide range of industries, on supply chain network design and inventory optimization. Before Chainalytics, she spent eight years in technology consulting, focused on implementation and digital transformation. Hiral holds a master's degree in Supply Chain Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

I once worked with a client in the frozen food industry who wanted to understand if they were in the right location and if they should move to a distributed network. After running about 100 scenarios, I recommended they close their existing DC and move to a 2 or 3 DC network, resulting in approximately $6 million in annual operating costs savings. The client immediately set out to get 3PL bids in the optimal locations and started working on implementing the recommendations. It was an immensely satisfying feeling that my work directly made a positive impact to the client's business. The client reached out multiple times after the engagement to make sure they were implementing the right changes. This high degree of confidence that the client had in my abilities has been my greatest achievement. Helping clients build efficient and cost-effective supply chains is my greatest motivation.

What advice would you give to a female consultant just beginning her career?

I would provide three pieces of advice: Seek out a mentor you can trust to help you learn and grown in your career and surround yourself with smart people. I have had great mentors who have helped me look at things from a different perspective.

Focus on the big picture. In addition to doing what you are asked to do, seek to understand why the task is important. This will help you develop your critical thinking skills and allow you to think forward. This helps you to be innovative and creative in solving client's problems

Speak your mind. Don't hesitate to voice your opinions or to ask questions, even when you are the junior consultant in the room. You will be respected for having an opinion of your own and when you ask questions (no matter how simple) you will get a peek into a wealth of information from the leaders.

What do you enjoy most about your consulting career?

As a consultant, I meet with professionals and executives from varied industries which allows me to increase my industry knowledge. I get to work on different problems, and I get to be creative in our solutions to help solve these problems for the client. It is immensely satisfying to see clients implement your recommendations and reap the benefits of the outcome. The greatest joy is being a part of the client's success story!

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

I have been successful as a consultant because of the valuable feedback I received from mentors and leaders from time to time, and learning from that feedback. Early in my career, my mentor once told me that before a meeting, take the time to prepare for the meeting – know the audience of your meeting, rehearse what to say aloud, anticipate the questions that could be asked, and prepare examples or simple images if you need to explain the concept. Communication is an important skill for a consultant and preparing ahead of any meeting has been a key that has helped me present my views in the most articulate and succinct way.

Another piece of advice I have received was that it is important to build trust with the client through good work, transparency and communication. Keeping an open and honest communication channel with the client and involving them in every step of the project has gone a long way in building trust and rapport with the client.

What does being honored as a Woman Leader in Consulting mean to you?

I am humbled and beyond grateful to be recognized as a Women Leader in Consulting by Consulting Magazine. I am thankful to Chainalytics for the opportunity to work in this industry alongside so many talented individuals and to my mentors for believing in me and guiding me along the way. I feel extremely proud to be among these amazing women leaders who are excelling in their fields.

The recognition is a validation and appreciation of the work that women do and the different viewpoint they bring to the table. It empowers me to explore my fullest potential and foray into newer territories. It encourages me to do more for my clients and to support and groom other young women professionals. Go Women!