The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Virginia Brady

Virginia is a Manager at CMG Consulting in Washington, D.C. CMG is a strategy consulting firm that helps clients transform, grow, and thrive so they can achieve their long-term customer-centric business objectives.

Virginia has been with the firm for over 2 years and has worked on a variety of key client engagements during her tenure spanning strategy development, activation, and agile transformation. She has most notably been working with a national healthcare association on transforming their approach to strategic partnerships and enabling new channels for revenue generation. Virginia has also worked with clients in the financial services and manufacturing sectors on integrating Agile ways of working into their sales and marketing teams. Outside of serving clients, Virginia helps drive firm growth through new product development and enhanced team capabilities.

Most recently, Virginia has led the development and market launch of a new organization evaluation tool for leadership teams to uncover and address areas of misalignment. Prior to joining CMG, Virginia spent 5 years as a consultant to the Department of Energy designing and executing growth and marketing strategies for a national public-private partnership program. She has extensive experience in improving customer engagement through enhanced product offerings, account management, and digital capabilities.

She is originally from Arlington, Virginia and went to the University of South Carolina where she received a BA in public health.

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

I've found that putting myself in other people's shoes helps align perspective. Whether it's the client, a peer or my manager, putting myself in other people's shoes allows me to truly understand their needs and adapt my approach for success. This has helped me thrive in highly collaborative team environments, achieve promotions and higher levels of responsibility early on in my career, and provide excellent service to clients. Leading with empathy is a recipe for success in any industry but it's particularly true in consulting. As consultants, we typically have a small window of time to build a trusted relationship with the client. I strive to always put myself in the shoes of my clients and am lucky to have strong mentors who continuously challenge me to hone and finesse this skill.

Recently, putting myself in other people's shoes has also allowed me to succeed in my development as a manager and coach to new consultants. One of the first lessons I learned as a new manager was that everyone's motivators and learning methods are different. Similar to how we approach clients, it's important to consider the drivers, influencers, and goals of our direct reports, and adapt our management style accordingly. I'm excited to continue my development as a manager and help other consultants achieve similar success.

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

As cliché as it might sound, I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of helping teams solve problems. I credit this back to my undergraduate degree in Public Health. In college I learned how to think about complex, global health care issues affecting multiple stakeholders and population groups. In small teams, we worked together to unpack the problem at hand and design programs, policies, and strategies that could be realistically implemented and sustained. The critical thinking skills and solution-oriented mindset I gained from that has carried through my entire career and has driven my passion for consulting.

As a consultant, I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of types of clients – including Fortune 500 companies, government institutions and nonprofits – each with a unique set of stakeholders and challenges. A common thread throughout has been the need to bring an outside-in perspective to a prevailing problem. A consultant's role can often be interpreted as vague or undefined, but at our core we are problem solvers. I'm energized by the opportunity to help client teams uncover the source of their pain points and implement realistic solutions that have sustained impact and value. In our line of work, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a project to fruition and leaving a team better off than when we started.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Working on projects for clients that have had a positive societal impact. Over the years I've had the privilege of partnering with organizations that are committed to a mission of doing good. I'm proud of those contributions have not only improved financial performance, but also driven advancements in environmental sustainability and public health.

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

Be curious. This is a piece of advice that I've not only received and treasured, but also imparted on others. Questions are one of our most powerful tools as consultants and a curious mindset can set apart a good consultant from a great one.

What does this recognition mean to you?

Receiving the Consulting Magazine Rising Star Excellence in Client Service recognition validates that excellent client service, and the skills required, are universal. In my almost 7 years of consulting experience, I've worked on both large and small teams, with public and private sector clients, on high-level strategy projects and tactical executions. I've prided myself on my ability to translate above and beyond client service across each of those settings and would be honored to be recognized by Consulting Magazine for the positive impact that has had on my firm and my clients.

This recognition not only acknowledges my achievements to date but also supports my continued development and my mentorship of other young professionals entering the consulting field. Since my first couple of years in consulting, I've had the honor of managing and mentoring several entry-level and rising consultants. For example, at CMG I've led our annual summer intern group project for two years in a row, which is an opportunity for interns to work on impactful internal projects in a client engagement-like format. Receiving this recognition helps me further inspire and motivate the next Rising Stars in the consulting industry.