Climb In Consulting

In today’s episode of Climb In Consulting I speak with James Constable, CEO and Founder of Albany Beck, the specialist financial services consultancy that’s disrupting the industry with their unique approach that balances leading subject matter expertise with cost effective delivery. Now full disclosure, Albany Beck are a client of ours, but it didn’t start like that. I originally approached James to appear on the podcast but one thing led to another and here we are. Having worked with James and the Albany Beck team for coming up to six months now, it was great to sit down with him for the podcast and talk about the Albany Beck story from the beginning. While I knew some of the journey he and the team have been on, there was lots I didn’t, and this conversation was my chance to find out all about it. Having started his career in contractor recruitment, James founded and grew Albany Beck to become one of the leading contractor resourcing firms in the banking industry. This success ultimately led him to sell part of the business to private equity. But that’s not where the story ends. Having worked in recruitment for over 15 years, James and his team felt that they could see the problems with both the contracting and traditional consulting models, and knew there must be a better way, so they launched their new consulting offering, or Albany Beck 2.0 as it’s sometimes called. Their unique model, something that James goes in to detail on in our conversation, has seen them go from strength to strength. Growing from a team of just the founders, to over 170 consultants in less than 18 months. And as James explains in today’s episode, that’s just the beginning of their growth journey. We go into a whole host of topics in this conversation, including: – Why James and the team decided to launch Albany Beck and the client conversation that started it all off. – How they were able to scale the business so quickly and their secrets to making their model a success. – And James’s advice for anyone considering striking out on their own, the conversations you should have with your significant other before doing so, and why Jeff Bezos’s wife deserved every cent of the divorce settlement she got. It was great to catch up with James outside of our day-to-day work together and have a conversation for the podcast. Working with the Albany Beck team, we see first-hand the great work they do and the business they’re building, and I really enjoyed having a chat with James to share his insights, learning and experience with you for the podcast. Whether you’re looking for advice on starting your own firm or considering how your consultancy will need to adapt its business model to keep pace with the competition, I know you’ll get a ton from this episode. Get in touch with James at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-constable-a7b6633/ Check out Albany Beck at – https://www.albanybeck.com/ Specific things discussed in the show Who Moved My Cheese by Dr Spencer Johnson – https://amzn.to/3ckO3BB Loosing My Virginity by Richard Branson – https://amzn.to/3smAdnL

For regular listeners to the show, you’ll know what this episode is about, but for those of you who are new or have only started listening recently, let us give you a little explanation. Every few months we like to take a break the usual format of the podcast and give you something slightly different. That’s where the idea for this episode came from. Our guests give so much great advice and nowhere is this truer than in their answers to the very last question that we ask in each interview. 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 hearing both the similarities and differences in advice and know that many of you do too. But scrolling through multiple episodes to find this great advice at the end can be tedious and that’s why we bring them together, into these advice round up episodes. Today you will hear from a whole host of guests from the last 6 months of Climb In Consulting. They’ve come from a range of backgrounds, a range of different consultancies and all have some really unique insights to share, and in this episode we bring them together. In this episode you’ll hear advice from: Mike Newlove – Wavestone James Callander – Freshminds Tricia Nelson – EY Jeff Cronkshaw – LanciaConsult Jeff Dill – Vynamic Gemma Pfister – Vynamic Professor Joe O’Mahoney – Consulting Mastered Tara Lajumoke – FT Strategies Simon Williams – DMW Group Dean Taylor – IMD Group David Stoddard – Barnett Waddingham We always love listening back to these round up episodes as it reminds us just how much great advice our guests share and we know you’ll get a ton from listening to it. We hope you enjoy!

In today’s episode of Climb In Consulting I speak with David Stoddard, the Chief Operating Officer at Barnett Waddingham, a leading independent professional services consultancy across risk, pensions, investment and insurance, with a team of over 1,330 people across the UK. David has had an incredibly varied career, having worked across many of the big names in consulting including Accenture, EY and Baringa. The last of which is where we first met, on a project for one of David’s Life & Pensions clients. Over the last 25 years David has moved from consulting into industry and back again and navigated multiple continents at the same time. It’s this varied experience of successfully managing multiple career transitions that makes him the perfect guest for the show, and we go into each of these transitions in today’s episode. We cover a ton in this conversation, and discuss a range of topics, including: - David’s move from Accenture to LBG and how he was able to successfully make the leap and climb the career ladder, ultimately running their 3,000-person Life and Pensions Ops function. - Moving abroad, why David and his family chose Australia, and his top tips for anyone thinking of making a similar move. - And David’s advice on growing a consulting practice, whether you’re doing so in a big established player or a start-up consulting firm It was great to catch up with David and learn more about his story, both from before we worked together at Baringa and since. I learnt so much I didn’t know and there’s some great practical advice in this episode, both professional and personal. If you’re thinking of making the jump out into industry, or maybe you’re considering going from a global firm to a boutique, I know you’re going to really enjoy this conversation with David. Get in touch with David at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstoddard/ Check out Barnett Waddingham at – https://www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/ Specific things discussed in the show Pick yourself up by Nat King Cole - https://bit.ly/3ux0Tnb The first 90 days by Michael Watkins – https://amzn.to/3khljvy Why should anyone be led by you by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones – https://amzn.to/3kdU4lE The art of happiness by the Dalai Lama – https://amzn.to/3qPUZv9 Cultures and Organisations by Geetre Hofstede - https://amzn.to/2MpT6Gu The Leadership pipeline by Ram Charan - https://amzn.to/3kozcs2

In today’s episode of Climb In Consulting I speak with Dean Taylor, CEO at IMD Group, the specialist digital transformation and training consultancy focused on delivering complex change in the secure and public sector environments. Dean’s story is rather unique and one that I’m sure will resonate with a lot of you. Unlike many of my previous guests who’ve started their own consulting businesses in their 20s or 30s, Dean started his entrepreneurial journey later in life. Having already held senior roles in both Government and Consulting he decided to strike out on his own and launch IMD Group. A business which he has grown into a team of over 140 in just 6 years. Since being introduced by our mutual friend Ben Chapple at Circle Performance, Dean and I have got to know each other well and it was great to have a chance to speak to him for the podcast and share his journey and his insights with you. We cover a lot in this one and go into detail on a whole host of fascinating topics, including: - Dean’s journey with IMD, and how he turned it from a failing training company into the £16 million business it is today. - Dean’s take on leading a business through lockdown and his advice for others on how to support your team through this difficult time. - And Dean’s perspective on learning and development for both consulting leaders and military leavers to help you both give the best to your team and get the best from them. I really enjoyed catching up with Dean for this interview. Pre-lockdown we’d planned to do this at my kitchen table over a beer and while sadly we had to have this conversation remotely, it didn’t affect the great insights and stories that Dean was able to share. Whether you’re running a consulting business or you’re listening to this podcast as a military leaver, looking to get in to consulting, I know you’re going to enjoy this one. Get in touch with Dean at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-taylor-64291a2/ Check out IMD at – https://www.imd-group.co.uk/ Specific things we discuss in the show: Margaret Thatcher's Autobiography - https://amzn.to/36XMpm3 Jeremy Corbyn’s Autobiography - https://amzn.to/2MGBJSc

This week we bring you a slightly different episode of Climb In Consulting. If you’ve listened to any of our previous podcast episodes on how to effectively market your consulting firm, then you’ll know that at Create Engage we’re big believers in putting your team front and centre, showcasing their experience and expertise. A successful consulting firm is built on the capability of its people. All of its people, not just the Partners. And we always recommend showcasing this strength in depth as part of your marketing. As you’ll know, I always like to lead by example and share ideas of what this can look like for you, to help you as you grow your consulting career, and today’s episode is just such an example. In today’s episode I make way for our very own Hannah Urbanek who was recently featured on The 20 Minute Marketing Podcast with host Liam Quinn. In case you didn’t already know, Hannah is a Senior Marketing Manager here at Create Engage. She has a wealth of knowledge on how to create effective marketing for consulting firms and leads our work with a number of our longest standing clients. In addition to all of the great work she does here at Create Engage, Hannah is also a School of Marketing Founding 50 member and ambassador. This fantastic organisation is focused on offering a new type of skill-based marketing education for people at all stages of their careers, and is definitely worth checking out if you’re keen to build up your skills in Marketing. During today’s conversation Hannah and Liam discuss a whole host of really interesting topics, including: - How you can push the boundaries of marketing for your consultancy, or any B2B business for that matter. - What you can do to create engaging content that helps you attract your target clients. - And the best ways to use social channels such as LinkedIn to grow your brand and accelerate your business development. Whether you’re looking to find out more about how you can use marketing to help your Consultancy, or you’re looking for inspiration about how you can start to do more for your own personal brand, I know you’re really going to enjoy this. You can get in touch with Hannah at - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahurbanek/ You can get in touch with Liam at - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamquinn9/ View the original episode here - https://www.reach-interactive.com/resources-and-blog/pushing-the-boundaries-of-b2b Visit Reach at - https://www.reach-interactive.com/ Visit the School of Marketing at - https://schoolofmarketing.co/

Welcome to the first episode of Climb In Consulting for 2021. In today’s episode I speak to Simon Williams, Co-Founder of DMW Group and Non-Executive Director at LanciaConsult. Simon spent the vast majority of his career building DMW Group, which he and the team grew from just two of them, after a rather interesting start to the business, into a company of over 200 consultants today. Having spent 27 years growing DMW, Simon now advises a range of businesses and is a trustee to his old university college. One of these businesses is LanciaConsult and is how Simon came to being on the podcast, having been introduced by LanciaConsult’s Managing Partner Jeff Cronkshaw following our interview for this show. As you’d expect from someone who spent so long at the helm of a consulting business, Simon has wealth of experience when it comes to growing a successful consulting firm and leading through both the good times and the bad, much like where we find ourselves right now with the Covid-19 pandemic. In this interview Simon shares many of the insights that he’s learnt from his time building DMW and goes in to detail on many of the unorthodox elements of the DMW journey including: - Why DMW almost failed before it got started, and how Simon went from one of the most junior members of the team to leading the business in just a few short years. - DMW’s approach to partnering and why they decided to take the unusual route of collaborating with other boutique consulting firms to help them all win more business. - And Simon’s advice for navigating challenging times, like the ones we’re in now. How DMW was able to overcome multiple recessions and his advice for helping your business to do the same. If you’re currently planning your personal or corporate goals for 2021 and want to know what you can do to take your career or your business to the next level, or simply the steps you should take to ensure your business comes out of the other side of the recession as stable as possible, then I know you’re going to get so much from what Simon shares in today’s conversation. You can get in touch with Simon at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonjw/ Or – simonwilliams@peakflow.zone Visit DMW Group at – https://www.dmwgroup.com/ Visit his website at – https://www.peakflow.zone/ Specific things we discussed in the show: Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice by Matthew Syed – https://amzn.to/2LrbXQX Black Box Thinking: Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High by Matthew Syed – https://amzn.to/35ymsJo Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi

In today’s episode, I speak with Tara Lajumoke, Managing Director of FT Strategies. I first heard Tara speak on another podcast, the 40 Minute Mentor, run by my good friend and Create Engage client James Mitra at JBM. Having taken so much from that interview I knew we had to get her on the show and I was so pleased when she said yes. Tara’s career is made up of an enviable list of prestigious global brands, having studied at both the LSE and Harvard and worked at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and now heading up the Financial Times consulting business, FT Strategies. While on paper it may look like Tara has had an easy and effortless journey to the top, what makes her even more special is that her journey has been anything but. As a Nigerian woman who moved to the UK when she was 8 and spent her early years growing up on a council estate, Tara’s seen her fair share of challenges. Both before entering the world of work and since, something she goes in to detail on in today’s conversation. It’s her drive to succeed, despite many of the perceived challenges that may have held her back that makes her story so special and something that she now pays forwards in both her mentoring of underprivileged young people and her candid and compassionate perspective on the challenges that those from minority groups face in climbing to the top in our industry. Something that she was recognised for earlier this year when she was named on the 2021 Black Powerlist. With such an incredible story there was so much ground for us to cover and we go in to detail on some really important topics in this conversation including: The importance of education and mentorship and why we need to be focusing on creating positive role models for those from minority backgrounds to follow. Climbing in McKinsey as a woman, a mother and a person from a minority background – Her experience of doing so and the advice she would give to others looking to emulate and learn from her success. And her decision to join FT strategies, why she decided to make the leap and what her and the team are doing to build a consulting business that delivers great client work while creating an environment that enables everyone to excel, regardless of their background. I don’t throw around words like inspiring that often, but in this case I think it’s very well deserved. Tara is a truly inspiring role model both to women and those from minority groups looking to climb in consulting as she is to those from the majority who want to know what they can do to help improve diversity and breed an inclusive culture across the consulting industry. With 2020 coming to an end and many of us considering what the next year holds, I know this episode will give you some food for thought and help you start 2021 in the best possible way. You can get in touch with Tara at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-lajumoke-40aa29/ Visit FT Strategies at – https://www.ftstrategies.com/ Specific things we discussed in the show: Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela - https://amzn.to/37HQrPf Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company’s Future by Tien Tzuo -https://amzn.to/33SrhML

In today’s episode, I speak with Joe O’Mahoney, Professor of Management Consulting at Cardiff University, and CEO of Consulting Mastered. Joe has had a hugely wide-ranging career that’s seen him go from Academia, in to consulting and back again, with a number of additional entrepreneurial ventures along the way. With such a varied career, and a unique mix of both practical and academic experience, Joe has a huge amount to share and gives so much in today’s interview. When I say that Joe wrote the book on Management Consulting, I mean it very literally. His textbook “Management Consultancy” is the leading academic resource on our industry and is used by universities across the world to teach their students about consulting. But Joe’s focus is more than just the academic side of the industry. Through his business Consulting Mastered he’s advised a range of consulting businesses – from boutiques to global leaders - on how they can improve their organisations to help them grow effectively. Insights that he’s currently building into his latest book and something we go in to detail on in today’s show. We cover so many different facets of the industry in today’s conversation and there really is something in here for everyone, from Joe’s top tips for graduates looking land their first job in consulting, to the key insights from his upcoming book on what separates successful boutique consulting firms from their less successful peers. I found this conversation fascinating and it was great to get Joe’s perspective as someone who truly knows all the ins and outs of the consulting industry. Whether you’re a consulting leader focused on how you can take your business to the next level or a graduate looking to make your first step into the industry, I know you’re going to get so much from what Joe has to say. You can get in touch with Jeff at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeomahoney/ Find out more about Consulting Mastered at – https://www.consultingmastered.com/ Check out his book, Management Consultancy, at - https://amzn.to/35TA0Q7 Specific things we discussed in the show: - PrepLounge – https://www.preplounge.com/en/ - The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – https://amzn.to/36686Ag - If This Is a Man by Primo Levi – https://amzn.to/3q00Bmp - The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert – https://amzn.to/3nUmMIR

In today’s episode I speak to Jeff Dill and Gemma Pfister, CEO and Executive at Vynamic, the multinational healthcare industry management consultants with offices in Philadelphia, Boston, Durham, North Carolina and London here in the UK. I’ve spoken to a number of guests who’ve expanded their businesses across the pond, but these have all been firms that have gone UK to US. As such, it was great to speak with Jeff and Gemma and find out how they’ve successfully managed to make the leap the other way and learn about the Vynamic journey that’s led them from a single state operator to the multinational consultancy they are today. Jeff started his career, like several of my guests, at Accenture. He was persuaded to leave and join a former colleague in the early days of Vynamic and the rest, as they say, is history. During his time as CEO he’s overseen a number of huge events for the business, including the expansion I’ve just mentioned, turning the business round following the financial crisis and the sale of Vynamic to UDG Healthcare plc in 2017. Gemma spent the earlier part of her career in the US and Germany, before coming to the UK to join a global healthcare company that was acquired by UDG. When UDG acquired Vynamic, Gemma was offered the chance to be part of founding and leading the UK business and leapt at the opportunity. With two guests on today’s show, there was a lot to cover and Jeff and Gemma share so many great insights from their journey with Vynamic in today’s interview. We cover a whole range of topics including: - The Vynamic story and what led Jeff and the team to expand beyond one office in the first place. - What it’s like to take a business into an international market, and how to manage the many challenges that come with it. - And the importance of culture when growing a consulting business and how Vynamic achieves ‘shared values with a local vibe’ across their various offices. This was a great conversation, with two guests who have so much to offer in the stories they tell and advice they give. If you’re looking to take your consultancy in to a new market, or maybe you have and you’re trying to get to grips with how you can bring those different offices together, I know you’ll get a ton from this conversation. You can get in touch with Jeff at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-dill-2601803/ And Gemma at – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-pfister-a9482b15/ Find out more about Vynamic at – https://vynamic.com/ Specific things we discussed in the show: - Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty - https://amzn.to/3luLBdX - The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom - https://amzn.to/2JQil37 - Work Life Podcast - https://work.life/podcast/

This is a special episode for two reasons: firstly, this marks the 70th episode of Climb In Consulting a huge milestone and one that we have to say a big thank you to you, our listeners for. Without you this show wouldn’t have even got off the ground! And secondly, this week we bring you a slightly different type of episode. Instead of my usual interviews, this episode is a panel discussion all about how you can start your career in consulting. We’re a huge believer in broadening the reach of our industry and helping those who may not know about consulting or may have misconceptions about what it is and what it isn’t. So, when we were asked by Deri Hughes to chair this panel on behalf of Explore Consulting we was so excited. We knew this was going to be an amazing opportunity to bring you advice from some brilliant consultants and ex-consultants who are doing great things, know all about our industry and could provide an honest and in-depth insight into the world of consulting. For this session we were joined by a fantastic panel who brought such refreshing and honest perspectives to the discussion. In this episode you’ll hear from: Tamsin Chislett, Co-Founder and CEO at Onloan Harriette Foster, Social Impact Investment Manager at Impetus Darren Ashby, Partner at businessfourzero Julianne Ilebode-Akisanya, General Manager at ENT UK In this conversation our panellists dig into what it’s really like to work in consulting, the benefits that it’s given them and some of the challenges you need to consider too. They also answer a range of questions from people like you, giving their take on the topics that graduates and those looking to make their first move in to consulting really want to know about. We had a great time chairing this session and we’re really pleased to be able to share it as part of this podcast. If you’re at university right now and currently considering your career options or you’re early on in your career and considering a move in to consulting, we know you’ll find this episode extremely valuable. To find out more about the panellists, follow the links below: Tamsin Chislett – www.linkedin.com/in/tamsinchislett/ Onloan – onloan.co/ Harriette Foster – www.linkedin.com/in/harriette-foster/ Impetus – impetus.org.uk/ Darren Ashby – www.linkedin.com/in/darrenashby/ Businessfourzero – businessfourzero.com/ Julianne Ilebode-Akisanya – www.linkedin.com/in/julianne-ileb…isanya-11356324/ ENT UK – www.entuk.org/ Teach First – www.teachfirst.org.uk/ To find out more about Explore Consulting visit there website - https://exploreconsulting.careers/