The 2023 Best Firms to Work For: West Monroe

Client Industries Served: Consumer & Industrial Products, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, High Tech & Software, Private Equity

Consulting Service Lines: Business Advisory & Transformation, Business Services, Digital & Technology, Mergers & Acquisitions, People

CMAG: How would you say you've managed to stay among the industry's Best Firms to Work For amid these unprecedented times?

Although we are in unprecedented times, we consistently prioritize our people – that never changes. We've done so by providing promotions, maintaining full benefits, and prioritizing raises for our staff-level employees. Notably, we've preserved our full suite of wellness benefits and programming, recognizing their significance now more than ever to our workforce.

While we've certainly adjusted, such as reimagining what office gatherings look like, we haven't compromised bringing our people together. Our commitment also extends beyond our walls, as evidenced by our continued engagement in our communities through initiatives like our Day of Service, an annual day dedicated to community service and our Fischer Fellowship, a unique program allowing our employees to use their professional expertise to address global humanitarian issues during an extended paid leave.

CMAG: Were there any specific programs or initiatives (internal or external) that contributed to you being a Best Firm to Work For?

Our emphasis on flexibility underscores our dedication to accommodating the individual needs of our employees, be it through unlimited paid time off or our hybrid work model that emphasizes how you spend your time over where you spend your time.

We're also proud of our inclusive and fun culture, bolstered by our seven Employee Resource Groups, a robust commitment to inclusion and diversity, and our unique Chiefs Program, empowering people to create leadership roles that reflect their personal passions such as Chief Bowling Officers, Chief Hot Sauce Officers, Chief Charity Officers and more.

Across all of this is our commitment to our mission to build the next generation of leaders. This comes to life through our commitment to and celebration of mentorship, opportunities for employees to do challenging and impactful work, and the growth opportunities we provide for our people.

CMAG: What's unique about your firm? What sets it apart?

What truly sets our firm apart is our employee ownership model. We are 50% employee-owned and offer all employees the opportunity to own shares in West Monroe. Through this model, we all share in West Monroe's performance, which means our people truly have an interest and impact on our shared success. We're truly in it together—and that means we're in it for our clients, too.

Our clients tell us all the time that we are a different kind of partner. We're not just consultants; we're rolling up our sleeves and driving transformative change alongside them. Our clients consistently recognize this difference, cementing lasting relationships, making us the partner of choice time and time again.

CMAG: What's the top priority over the next 6 to 12 months?

Like most companies right now, our priority is navigating this market uncertainty. Beyond that, our focus is on areas we have been investing in to help grow and scale our business – allowing us to serve our clients even better.

One of these top focuses is around continued global expansion, leveraging our nearshoring opportunities in Costa Rica, and strengthening our London team serving our private equity clients.

Another priority is investing around key growth areas like product development, data, and partnerships to round out our portfolio. We continue to see demand for product and, specifically, the need for a consulting partner that helps companies deliver integrated experiences.

CMAG: When you look at the remainder of this year and 2024, what excites you? What opportunities do you see in your markets?

Coming out of three challenging and unpredictable years, we are really focusing on getting back to the basics when it comes to West Monroe, who we are, and what we do. From day one we have been rooted in bringing together technology expertise with business acumen – how we do that has evolved over the years, but our foundation has never been more relevant than it is today. We're excited about bringing a modern lens to the fundamentals that embody West Monroe and that allows us to help clients build digital businesses today.

One of the ways we are doing this is by growing our global product development platform. This strategic move enables us to help our clients to truly become digital and make a lasting impact.

Another prime example of this commitment is the expansion of our dedicated AI Lab. The role of AI in shaping not only our clients' futures, but our own firm and the world, cannot be understated, and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of harnessing its potential.

CMAG: What impact do you think being a Best Firm to Work For has on the firm? Employees? Clients?

In the consulting world, our product is our people. This recognition reinforces the importance of investing in culture and your people and serves as a powerful recruitment tool as we focus on attracting top talent and retaining our valued people who take pride working for an award-winning firm. Our talented and skilled workforce is what allows us to optimize the work we do, as we partner with clients to solve the complex issues they are facing, helping them to transform their ways of working to be digital.