The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Emerson Delgado

Emerson creates winning strategies for his clients by combining McMillanDoolittle's global retail expertise with his deep knowledge of the Latin American and US Hispanic market and consumer. As LATAM Practice Lead, he directs cross-functional teams in international and bilingual environments. He has led client engagements in diverse areas including Strategic Planning and Implementation, Consumer Insights, Operational Improvement, Organizational Design, Concept Development, and more. He has worked with over a dozen clients across retail industries and geographies, including Grupo Axo (Mexico), GNC Mexico, Grupo Del Sol Woolworth (Mexico), Vinoteca (Mexico), Tramontina (Brazil-USA), and the Howard Hughes Corporation (US).

Prior to joining McMillanDoolittle, he completed The Home Depot's selective Leadership Development Program and became the youngest Merchandising Planner in his division. Following this, he worked as a strategic and analytical partner for global brands at the NPD Group.

Emerson has been featured as a subject-matter expert in news media including the TD Ameritrade Network, Fox32 Chicago, and Capital.com. He is a nominee for Consulting Magazine's 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession award for Excellence in Client Service. He graduated from the University of Chicago where he studied behavioral psychology and neuroscience.

What would you say has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

Consistently being trusted with opportunities to succeed and receiving mentorship and feedback at every turn (good or bad) is undoubtedly the biggest factor in my professional achievements so far.

I believe success is the result of reciprocal actions. My professional success is made possible through the firm's success, which is in turn made possible through our clients' success. My outstanding leaders at McMillanDoolittle continually put us in situations where we are empowered to help our clients succeed, where we are challenged, and where we can learn and develop constantly. I am very thankful for this.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

Consulting to me is enjoyable because it allows me to combine my passion for understanding human behavior, my nature as a problem-solver, and my personality as a helper and a teacher. Every client, project, and phase of work is unique which is challenging and engaging.

Consulting in the retail space is especially interesting to me because everyone is a consumer, so everyone has a valuable point of view on retail. It is a wonderful combination of quantitative and qualitative, art and science. A winning retail formula is one that makes consumers feel something: whether it's excitement or trust or relief or anything else, so what we do touches the human side as well as the rigorous methodological side. The combination is fascinating to me.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

I am proud to be able to contribute to the development of world-class retail capabilities and strategies in Mexico and Latin America. As a US-Mexico dual-citizen, and someone who lived in Mexico for a decade, I greatly appreciate the vibrant national and regional cultural identities that permeate Latin America.

Often, we see retailers with longstanding heritage and roots in LATAM, who are major contributors to their communities, struggling to modernize or to compete with global retail giants. I am incredibly proud of our work providing global retail expertise, skills, and strategies to some of these national retailers so they can in turn grow sustainably, provide their clients a world-class experience, remain a pillar in their communities, and compete in today's increasingly globalized economy.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

The best advice I've received professionally is the simple phrase "It's just people." At the time, it was a reminder that even the most seemingly formidable presentation or meeting is just a group of individuals trying to communicate with one another so I should feel empowered to share my perspective.

Since I first heard this, it has served as a constant reminder across many areas of my work. When communicating with client stakeholders or pitching a new project, it's important to take a breath and remember that it is just people communicating their needs. When trying to demystify the motivations of corporate leaders, investors or retail consumers, I remind myself that if approached through the lens of human behavior and psychology, we can find valuable insights.

I have been privileged to pass along this same advice to younger members of the team at McMillanDoolittle and to undergraduate students through University of Chicago Career Advancement events, and I hope they find it as valuable as I have.

What does this recognition mean to you?

Given the opportunity to reflect, I am extremely proud of the incredible achievements of our clients and of McMillanDoolittle over the past three years. Given the nature of our work, in consulting, most of our wins are enjoyed privately with small groups of colleagues, clients, and/or loved ones. Being recognized publicly, within a group of such accomplished and talented peers, would mean the world to me in that it would also reflect the dedication and brilliance of my colleagues, our leaders and our clients.