Climb In Consulting

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

Recently we took part in a webinar series exploring how your consultancy can thrive in a hybrid world. This episode of Climb In Consulting is the first of that three-part series. Each episode will step away from our usual interview format, bringing together our regular host, Nick, and industry experts Rob Garner of Garwood Solutions and Deri Hughes of Explore Consulting. They’ll use their expertise to discuss the three issues that are causing consulting firms the most pain right now – Operations, Recruitment and Marketing. Across the series they explore the challenges and opportunities that are emerging. And answer some perceptive questions from the audience. To kick off, Rob leads a discussion about how your consultancy can continue to growing in 2022. How we live and work has shifted dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic and many of those changes are here to stay. A vital element of success is making sure your operations are fit for this altered economic landscape. During this episode we’ll dig into how the past two years have accelerated change for your clients and what this means for your consultancy and the services it provides. We’ll cover key themes, including: • How the pandemic has shifted the operational paradigm and what your consultancy needs to do to respond. • What the fundamentals of consultancy growth are in a hybrid world. • And how you can lay the foundations that will sustain growth over the coming years. With decades of experience building and advising consultancies like yours, Rob will share the real-world insights you need to navigate your firm through this time. We think it’s a conversation you’ll want to hear so please do take a moment to listen. Get in touch with Rob, Deri or Nick here: Rob Garner - www.linkedin.com/in/garnerrobert Deri Hughes - www.linkedin.com/in/derihughes Nick Synnott - www.linkedin.com/in/nicksynnott

In the latest episode of Climb in Consulting Nick talks to the founder and CEO of Founders Intelligence, Rob Chapman. The entrepreneur powered consultancy that helps clients to identify and seize the next billion-pound opportunities that are emerging in their industries. Having begun his career in the start-up world, Rob moved in to consulting with PwC, wanting to build those core consulting skills that many young professionals want to learn. But his early days in start-ups had ignited a passion in him, and it was a chance introduction to one of his now longstanding mentors that led to the idea of a consultancy that helped large corporates grow through entrepreneurial growth. It was this idea that led to Founders intelligence, and at the age of just 26 he launched the business with his co-founders, Brent Hoberman and Henry Lane-Fox, on a mission to help companies unlock their potential by thinking and acting like entrepreneurs. In this conversation Rob and Nick explore a range of fascinating topics critical to the Founders Intelligence Journey, including: • Why mentorship is critical to career success and how mentors have played a vital role in Rob’s journey, from the decision to launch Founders Intelligence to how he and the team have evolved the business over the last 8 years. • The powerful career advice that helped Rob and his leadership team take Founders Intelligence from a start up to a global team approaching 50 people and how you can use it to accelerate your own career. • And how partnering with Accenture will help Founders Intelligence to accelerate its mission and help more corporates grow through entrepreneurial growth. Whether you’re looking to grow your own career through the power of mentorship, or you want to know how you can build your consultancy through entrepreneurial growth, you’ll get so much from this conversation. We hope you enjoy the show! Get in touch with Rob at: www.linkedin.com/in/robertianchapman Find out more about Founders Intelligence at: www.foundersintelligence.com Specific things discussed in the show: Wendell Berry – The Peace Of Wild Things www.waterstones.com/book/the-peace-of-wild-things/wendell-berry/9780141987125 John Berger – A Fortunate Man www.waterstones.com/book/a-fortunate-man/john-berger/gavin-francis/9781782115038

Regular listeners will know what this episode is all about. But for those of you who are new to the show or have only started listening recently, you might need a little more explanation. Every few months we like to take a break from our usual interview format to give you something slightly different. Which is where this episode comes in. Our guests give so much great advice and nowhere is this truer than in their answers to the round up question in each episode: “What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in consulting, someone at Manager level and someone approaching Partner.” We love listening to their varied but always insightful answers and we know you do too. That’s why we like to put them all in one place in these career advice round-up episodes, so you’re not left scrolling through multiple episodes to find them. Today you’ll hear from a host of guests from the past six months of Climb In Consulting. They’ve come from a range of backgrounds, a range of different consultancies and all have unique perspectives to share about how to succeed in the sector. In this episode we bring together: - James Constable, CEO of Albany Beck - Tom Hewson, Senior Partner at RedCompass Labs - Angus Ridgeway, formerly of McKinsey, now leading Potentialife - Kevin Ellis, Chairman and Senior Partner at PwC UK - Ben Rudman, Co-Founder and CEO of MMT Digital - Richard Fenning, formerly of Control Risks, now partner at Manchester Square Partners - Jonathan Davis, Managing Director of Avaloq We love listening back to these guests. It reminds us just how much great advice they share, and we hope you find it just as enlightening as we do.

In episode 92 of Climb In Consulting Nick speaks with Jonathan Davis, managing director at Avaloq. Jonathan started his career at Anderson Consulting in the late 1980s where he managed to get his foot in the door despite not having the educational success of many of his peers. That didn’t stop him working his way up from the unloved outsourcing department to become an equity partner at the time of its IPO. Since then, he’s taken on a number of varied and challenging roles ranging from attempting to buy a small car manufacturer to helping turn around Capco, to leading FIS’s £400m Middle East and African business. As you can imagine, he’s learned a huge amount along the way about what makes good teams tick and how to build colleague and client relationships that really work. As well as the ups and downs of his career, Nick and Jonathan delve deeper into the human side of consulting, including: - How Jonathan overcame his own insecurities to have the successful career he has - The secrets to motivating your team and how to get everyone on the same page to achieve a common goal - And why getting your top table right is critical to your consultancy’s success Few people in our industry can match Jonathan’s breadth of experience and he brings a huge number of valuable insights to this conversation. Whatever stage of your career you are at, whether you’re attempting to break into the consulting business, refine your leadership skills or try something a little different, this is a conversation well worth listening to. Get in touch with Jonathan at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-davis-a56a5/ Or through – jonathan.davis@avaloq.com Find out more about Avaloq at – https://www.avaloq.com/ Specific things discussed in the show Getting to Yes: Negotiating an agreement without giving in by Roger Fisher and William Ury – https://amzn.to/30kV1Dh Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner – https://amzn.to/3n4SMMQ Open: An Autobiography By Andre Agassi – https://amzn.to/3oiRH3A

In episode 91 of Climb In Consulting, Nick speaks with seasoned industry veteran, Richard Fenning, former CEO of Control Risks. The global risk consultancy with over 2,000 consultants working across 42 offices around the world. We first heard Richard as a guest on the Distinctive Leaders podcast, run by our client Andrew Wallace of Leathwaite. Having hugely enjoyed their conversation, we knew we had to get him on the show. Richard’s career in consulting started at Price Waterhouse where, as he shares in today’s conversation, he wasn’t having much success. Seeing that he wasn’t going to progress where he was, he decided to take a leap of faith and join the, at the time, small boutique, Control Risks. Having started close to the bottom of the firm, he climbed all the way to Global CEO where he spent 14 years leading the business through significant international expansion. Since retiring, Richard’s turned his attention to two of his other passions, Executive Coaching, through his Manchester Square Partners practice, and writing, having chronicled his many adventures with Control Risks in his new book – What On Earth Can Go Wrong: Tales From The Risk Business In today’s conversation Nick and Richard cover a lot of ground, going both deep as well as wide. Together they discuss a range of topics that will help you on your journey, whether you’re climbing up the ladder in your firm or sitting at the top, helping to shape its future direction. There are very few people who reach the level that Richard did in the consulting industry, and it was great to be able to hear Nick sit down with him for this conversation. Whether you’re currently trying to plot out your own path to the top of your consultancy, or maybe you’re already a partner and want to understand what separates the best leaders from the rest, we know you’re going to get so much from what Richard has to say. Get in touch with Richard at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardfenning1/ Find out more about Control Risks at – https://www.controlrisks.com/ Specific things discussed in the show What On Earth Can Go Wrong: Tales From The Risk Business by Richard Fenning - https://amzn.to/3vR91jz How To Fail by Elizabeth Day - https://amzn.to/3Eo9cWp