Climb In Consulting

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick is joined by Remco op den Kelder, CEO at Putnam Associates. Remco’s journey in consulting started with a temporary relocation to America, with a view to staying for 3 or 4 years, and over 20 years later, he’s still there, now as CEO of the firm he joined as a graduate. In a world where people move firm every few years, Remco’s story is something of a rarity. Even though he’s stayed at one firm his whole career, his journey from Analyst to CEO has been a rich, rewarding, and varied one. And proof that there’s many different ways to climb to the top in our industry. Over the time Remco’s been at Putnam, it’s seen significant growth, particularly over the few years, scaling from just over 100 consultants to over 400, in less than 36 months. During this conversation, Nick and Remco discuss his fascinating career journey, and talk about many of the challenges that come with scaling a rapidly growing consultancy including: - How to manage growth at the Partner level, and the important change to their leadership approach that has helped Putnam scale as fast as they have. - The challenges of recruiting into a growing business, and why growing talent within your firm is crucial to your success. - And the role of the office in the post-Covid world, how Putnam are changing their physical environment to respond, and what you should be thinking about for your own consultancy to ensure your office gives your team what they need to be effective. When you’re mapping out your career in consulting, the idea of staying with one organisation doesn’t always appeal to many. But Remco is proof that you don’t need to hop from one firm to another to achieve career success. Whether you’re on the path to CEO and what to learn the secrets to reaching the top, or you’re already there and want to hear the advice of a peer who’s achieved the growth that many firms are looking for, this conversation is going to be one that you’ll really enjoy. We hope you enjoy the show! Find out more about Remco here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remco-op-den-kelder-a7341b/ And discover more about Putnam Associates here: https://www.putassoc.com Specific things discussed in the show: Gorillas Can Dance by Shameen Prashantham: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gorillas-Can-Dance-Corporations-Partnering/dp/1119823587

The latest episode of Climb In Consulting is taken from our very first Bristol and Bath Marketing Mixer, where Kevin Matthews, global head of marketing at Deminor, topped the bill. What should you do now that in person events are an option? Should you run them, should you not, and if you do, how can you make the most of them? Now you may not expect this as a digital marketing agency, but we are big fans of in-person events. When they’re done properly. Sadly, too often they’re treated as a one off and not considered as part of a consultancy’s broader marketing strategy. If you take this approach they become hugely expensive and ultimately limit the ROI that you can generate. So what should you do instead? Well this episode is an example of exactly what you should be doing if you are choosing to run in person events and how you can repurpose these events as part of your broader digital marketing activity. This presentation was recorded at our recent Bristol and Bath marketing mixer, and we’re bringing it to you here as a podcast. With decades of experience building marketing functions for boutique professional services business with global ambitions, Kevin knows exactly what to focus on to deliver maximum return for investment. In this conversation you’ll hear Kevin’s brilliant step by step guide to building the marketing function for your consultancy, what you should be focusing on, and the pitfalls to look out for on that journey, including: - Where to start and the common mistakes that new Heads of Marketing make when they go in to a professional services business - How he engages colleagues internally to help drive his firm’s marketing and generate the great content he needs to grow their reach. - And why CSR is a key focus for him and how he’s been able to maximise its marketing benefits for both the firms he’s worked for and the communities he’s worked in. Whether you’re a Head of Marketing who needs to create an impact on a limited budget, or you’re a partner, responsible for marketing in your firm, Kevin’s talk will give you plenty of food for thought. Get to know Kevin a little better: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrmatthews/ Find out more about Deminor: www.deminor.com/en Mic for reference: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093L9GJG8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick talks to senior consulting leader and business advisor Mark Campbell. Over the course of his career Mark has ticked pretty much every consulting box. Becoming a Partner at KPMG, leading the boutique consulting firm, Hedra, through their growth journey and navigating the complex world of M&A to achieve a successful sale of the firm to Mouchel. If that wasn’t enough he’s also held senior leadership roles at industry stalwarts Hitatchi consulting and RGP, and since 2019 has moved into a portfolio career, working with a range of consulting firms as a board member and advisor. With so much experience, and his unique perspective having held leadership roles across a range of different sized firms, he seemed like the ideal guest for the show and we’re so pleased he said yes. In this conversation Mark and Nick discuss a range of topics that have been critical to Mark’s career success, and talk about how you can apply them to your own career or business to help you achieve your goals, including: • Why Mark decide to leave his role as a Partner at the global player KPMG to join the leadership team of boutique firm, Hedra, and the importance happiness played in his decision making. • Why culture is critical to any consultancy’s success and what you need to think about to ensure that the values on the wall of your office match the behaviours your team live day to day. • And the importance of brand when working for a boutique consultancy, and how being small can actually be an advantage when competing against the bigger players. Whether you’re just starting out, have recently made partner or you’re leading your firm. Mark’s advice is going to help you accelerate what you’re doing and avoid the pitfalls that you can only see with hindsight. It's a brilliant conversation, which we’re sure you’ll find really useful. So enjoy the show! Get in touch with Mark at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-campbell-61b7462b/ Find out more about Wondrous at: https://www.wondrouspeople.com/ And check out Winfo Solutions at: https://winfosolutions.com/ Specific things discussed in the show: Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep https://www.waterstones.com/book/why-we-sleep/matthew-walker/9780141983769 Spencer Johnson - Who Moved My Cheese https://www.waterstones.com/book/who-moved-my-cheese/dr-spencer-johnson/9780091816971 Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman https://www.waterstones.com/book/thinking-fast-and-slow/daniel-kahneman/9780141033570 Beginners: The Joy And Transformative Power Of Lifelong Learning - Tom Vanderbilt https://www.waterstones.com/book/beginners/tom-vanderbilt/9781786493118 The Score Takes Care of Itself – Bill Walsh https://www.waterstones.com/book/score-takes-care-of-itself/bill-walsh/steve-jamison/9781591843474

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick talks to David Liddle - the founder and CEO of The TCM Group. An award-winning provider of mediation, investigation, culture change and leadership development services to companies around the world. David has always been driven by the power of dialogue to bring people together. An award-winning mediation, investigation, culture change and leadership development consultancy. It was a huge success attracting Lottery funding and national media coverage. This eye-opening experience proved to him that people from all backgrounds, with competing goals, have the capacity to come together and create something positive. He has taken this approach into the corporate world with The TCM Group to support companies in achieving change compassionately and fairly. During their discussion Nick and David explore his fascinating career and the numerous insights he has learned along the way, including: • The power of restorative justice and how it can be used in the workplace to unlock benefits for businesses and individuals. • How listening to and understanding opposing views is the key to effective leadership and collaborative working. • And his journey building the TCM Group over the last 20 years. The ups, the downs and his advice for anyone thinking of following a similar path. At every stage of your consulting career, dispute resolution and overcoming disagreements is a crucial part of the job. David shares knowledge, insights and inspiring experiences that will strike a chord with everyone who is eager to turn these potentially challenging situations into positive moments. We hope you enjoy the show! Get in touch with David at: david.liddle@thetcmgroup.com Find out more about The TCM Group at: https://thetcmgroup.com/ Specific things discussed in the show: David Liddle’s books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Liddle/e/B076QC7YBT%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Amy Edmondson – The Fearless Organization https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fearless-Organization-Psychological-Workplace-Innovation/dp/1119477247 Roger Fisher – Getting to Yes https://www.waterstones.com/book/getting-to-yes/roger-fisher/william-ury/9781847940933 Intercom - https://www.intercom.com/

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick talks to Alison Esse, the Co-founder and Director of business transformation specialists The Storytellers. Having begun her career in communications, and later in big show production, Alison has been no stranger to captivating people through the power of storytelling. But when the events industry went into freefall in the early 2000s, she decided to switch focus from telling stories on stages, and into helping businesses create emotionally-compelling narratives that allow leaders to navigate their people through periods of change. 19 years later, and The Storytellers have worked with over 200 of the world’s biggest brands, including HSBC, Coca-Cola, Deloitte and BP. In this conversation Alison and Nick discuss a range of fascinating topics around storytelling, including: • Why stories cut through the noise to help make dense and complex information much more digestible. • How to use the traditional Hero’s Journey framework to tell an engaging story for your own firm that your team will buy into. • And the origins of The Storytellers, the challenges they’ve faced on their own Hero’s journey, and how Alison and her fellow co-founders turned something often considered fluffy and intangible into a toolkit to inspire people, shift mindsets, and build trust that even the most sceptical CEOs buy in to. Wherever you are in your career, Alison shares some brilliant advice on how to be a good listener, how to take knocks and learn from them, the importance of always staying in tune with what your customers actually want, and why it’s crucial for entrepreneurs to take the back seat from time to time. You’ll get so much from this conversation, and we hope you enjoy the show! Get in touch with Alison at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-esse-ab2bb91 Find out more about The Storytellers at: https://thestorytellers.com/ Specific things discussed in the show: Dan and Chip Heath – Switch https://www.waterstones.com/book/switch/dan-heath/chip-heath/9781847940322 Will Storr – The Science of Storytelling https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-science-of-storytelling/will-storr/9780008276973

Today’s episode sees two big milestones for the show. Firstly it is episode 100 of Climb In Consulting. A massive milestone and something that’s crazy to think given Climb In Consulting started just four years ago. This wouldn’t have been possible without all of our fantastic guests we have had along the way and you, the listeners, without whom, there would be no Climb In Consulting. A big thank you to you - we are looking forward to bringing you the next 100 episodes. And what’s the second big milestone? We are joined by our first OBE as Nick talks to Hugo Walkinshaw, OBE, about the ups and downs of his long and eventful consulting career. During his career in consulting Hugo has held senior roles in several of the biggest names in the business, including PWC, Deloitte and EY. Helping them to build and grow their businesses in Singapore and across Asia. As well as his consulting roles, Hugo’s a big believer in the importance of giving back outside of work. He has spent much of his later career focused on giving back to a range of charities and social enterprises. In fact, it was his work with the British Chambers of Commerce in Singapore that led to him receiving his OBE. During their conversation Nick and Hugo covered a lot of ground, including: • Why Hugo decided to move to Asia in the first place, what kept him there for so long, and his advice to others on how to make the move a success. • The tragic events that completely reshaped his perspective on life, and his advice to others on how they can learn the same lessons without having to go through the same pain themselves. • And how he was able to balance his roles outside of consulting with his role as a senior Big 4 partner, his work with the British Chambers of Commerce in Singapore and why supporting charities and social enterprises is a big focus for him today. Perhaps you’re at the beginning of your career and considering a move to Asia, or maybe you’re more senior and struggling to find the time for all of the passions and projects that you want to do. If you’re in either of these camps, or simply want to know how to accelerate your consulting career from where you are now, this conversation will give you the motivation and practical advice you need to make it happen. We hope you enjoy the show! Get in touch with Hugo at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-walkinshaw-obe-aa078baa/ Specific things discussed in the show: Jared Diamond – Guns, Germs and Steel https://www.waterstones.com/book/guns-germs-and-steel/jared-diamond/9780099302780 The Author - Yuval Noah Harari https://www.waterstones.com/author/yuval-noah-harari/677897 99% Invisible podcast https://99percentinvisible.org/

Climb In Consulting is all about sharing the best insights and advice from the leaders in our field, to help you get to the top. Time and time again, our podcast guests have demonstrated that regardless of your background, gender or race, you can climb in consulting. In celebration of International Women’s Day, today’s episode shares some of the inspirational advice and insights from a selection of the female consulting leaders that we’ve had on the series so far. Women who have built fantastic careers in the consulting industry and who serve as great role models, both to other women looking to build their careers, as well as leadership teams looking at what they can do to improve gender diversity in their firms. In this episode, you’ll hear from female leaders from across the consulting spectrum, from boutique consulting founders to big four partners, including Irene Molodstov formally CEO of SIA Partners, Hannah Farrar Chief Executive of CF, Tricia Nelson from EY, Tara Lajumoke MD of FT Strategies, and Jess Frame MD and Partner at BCG. They share their poignant perspectives on how women can build successful careers in consulting, including: • The real-life examples of gender bias that they’ve faced as women in the consulting industry, and their advice to senior leaders on what needs to change to improve gender equality. • The importance of supporting women in your firm before, during, and after maternity leave and what you can do as a senior leader, whether male or female, to help set both expectant and returning mothers up for success. • And advice for women working in consulting on what you can do to climb to the top and emulate the success of today’s guests. Whether you’re a woman building a career in consulting, or a senior leader, who wants to do more to level the playing field, we know you’re going to get a ton from this episode. We hope you enjoy the show! To find out more about the guests featured in the episode, visit their LinkedIn pages below: Irene Molodstov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenemolodtsov/ Hannah Farrar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-farrar/ Tricia Nelson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-nelson-826a8212/ Tara Lajumoke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-lajumoke-40aa29/ Jess Frame: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaframeceo/

At Create Engage we’re big believers that your marketing should revolve around two things, sharing your expertise and showcasing your team’s experience. So to practice what we preach – and give you some hugely valuable insights into what’s working for consultancies like you, right now – we recorded this episode. In this conversation Nick is joined by Dan Gibson, Account Director at Create Engage, to share the big questions that clients are asking us right now when it comes to marketing. In this conversation, Dan and Nick touch on a range of topics that are top of the list for firms like yours including: • Whether you should still be doing webinars for your consultancy, and the secrets to success for getting the attendees you want to the sessions you're running. • How to make the most of your live events and what you can do to turn a one-off event into months of content. • And how to bring all of your marketing activity together to ensure you’re achieving the results that you want and making the most of your team’s time and resources. If you’re anything like our clients, we expect that you’ll be wanting the answers to these questions too. And if so, you’re going to love this episode! You can get in touch with Dan at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-gibson-b5269a5b/ Find out more about Create Engage at: https://www.createengage.co.uk/

In the final episode of our three-part series exploring how your consultancy can thrive in the hybrid world. The pandemic may be subsiding, but your clients aren’t heading back to the office in a hurry. If your marketing hasn’t adapted to this reality, you risk losing out to competitors who have been swifter to evolve with the times. In this episode Nick Synnott leads the discussion, with Rob Garner of Garwood Solutions and Deri Hughes of Explore Consulting providing a client-side perspective. Nick explains how to create an effective marketing strategy that cuts through the noise and helps you reach your target clients however and wherever they are working. We cover a number of key topics during the conversation, including: • Why it’s time to start thinking differently about your marketing. • How to effectively engage potential new clients in this hybrid world. • And practical examples of tools and approaches you can use to improve your marketing straight away. You may have grown in the past couple of years, but to keep progressing in 2022 and beyond winning new business is vital. If you want to make sure you’re reaching your target audience with your marketing, this episode is well worth tuning in for. We hope you’ve enjoyed the series and it’s given you some interesting food for thought. You can find the first two episodes here: https://soundcloud.com/climb-in-consulting/episode-95-hybrid-operations-how-to-sustain-growth-in-2022/s-pGlJVKCj9OY?si=fa59cc955e1f4696b2cf39ddb20106d6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing https://soundcloud.com/climb-in-consulting/episode-96-hybrid-talent-how-to-sustain-growth-in-2022 And if you’d like to contact Rob, Deri or Nick get in touch here: Rob Garner - www.linkedin.com/in/garnerrobert Deri Hughes - www.linkedin.com/in/derihughes Nick Synnott - www.linkedin.com/in/nicksynnott

In the second of our series examining how your consultancy can thrive in the hybrid world, we take a closer look at the critical issue of attracting and retaining talent that will drive your business forward. It won’t have escaped your notice that we’re in the middle of a talent crunch at the moment. Competition for the best is fierce, which makes meeting the expectations of potential new recruits, and motivating them when they become your employees, vital. In this episode Deri Hughes, founder of recruiting firm Explore Consulting, leads the discussion with Rob Garner of Garwood Solutions and our very own Nick Synnott. They look at how you can build productive teams in this environment and keep hold of the talent your competitors are keen to tempt away. Deri uses his real-world experience recruiting for consultancies, alongside insights from Explore’s clients and candidates, to provide insider knowledge on several key challenges this raises, including: • What makes a good hybrid working candidate and how to adapt your recruitment approach to build hybrid-ready teams. • How to balance home and office work in a sustainable way that keeps people engaged and motivated. If you’re struggling to build your teams, perhaps even turning down work because you haven’t got enough people to do it, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Get in touch with Deri, Robert or Nick here: Rob Garner - www.linkedin.com/in/garnerrobert Deri Hughes - www.linkedin.com/in/derihughes Nick Synnott - www.linkedin.com/in/nicksynnott And to listen to the first episode of the series about sustaining growth through hybrid operations, click on the link below. https://soundcloud.com/climb-in-consulting/episode-95-hybrid-operations-how-to-sustain-growth-in-2022/s-pGlJVKCj9OY?si=2bd386f9f01943c5baff54bf8db52ce1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing