2023 Global Leaders in Consulting: Jameson Riley

Jameson Riley is a Principal in the London office. He is the leader of the Alexander Group's European region with responsibility for EMEA client account management and project work. He has led a variety of project types including segmentation, coverage, job design, sales compensation projects with a focus on transformation projects across the globe. Most recently, Jameson has worked in the United Kingdom supporting European clients on revenue growth and management issues with global and local European impact.

Prior to joining the Alexander Group, Jameson worked as an associate and senior associate at a global management consulting firm, where he worked on a variety of projects including due diligence, organizational effectiveness, growth strategy and resource allocation. These clients represented multiple industries including, consumer goods, retailing, financial services and logistics.

Jameson holds an MBA from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and a BBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

My greatest professional achievement has been the opening and growth of the London office of The Alexander Group. It has broadened my horizons enormously, both personally and professionally. I have learned so much (and will continue to) by "doing" while building a team, investing in a brand, and working with clients that I didn't foresee when I took on this challenge. We have more growth ahead of us, but upon reflection, it's amazing how far Alexander Group London has come.

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

Stay curious. One of the major benefits of a career in consulting is the sheer variety of potential experiences, client problems, and roles you may be asked to play. In the midst of client work, it's obviously important to be focused on the delivery, the deadline, the stakeholder, but there is value to taking some time to digest what you've learned when you have the space. Those stories illustrate your experience and competence and are invaluable for later in your career in consulting, and most other career paths that I've come across.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

The people, both colleagues and clients. I work with some of the most dedicated professionals in the business on a variety of operational and client issues. Each time I engage with a client to solve their issue and support them in being successful I have the opportunity to work with a great team and to build relationships with fantastic people on the client side. The feeling of partnership that comes from a productive team-client environment is incredibly rewarding.

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

Challenge yourself to learn something from everyone. I had a professor during my MBA who taught a class where I wasn't particularly interested in the subject matter, but I took a masterclass from him on managing a room of individuals who thought they knew more than him. Some of them did, but watching him mix humor and humility, and then redirect comments and questions to others in the room and eventually back to his themes for the class undoubtedly made me a more effective manager of clients and teams.

What does being honored as a Global Leader mean to you?

I am honored to have been nominated and selected for this award and view it as a representation of the work the Alexander Group team has done to have an impact for our clients on the global stage. It highlights the success that we've had in growing the global presence of the firm generally and the London office in particular.