The Boston Consulting Group, one of the world's leading management consulting firms, announced this week that Richard I. Lesser has been elected its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2013. Lesser, 49, is currently BCG's Chairman of North and South America, based in New York.
Lesser will succeed Hans-Paul Bürkner, 59, who will become Chairman next year after completing nine years as President and CEO. Under Bürkner's leadership, the firm has nearly tripled its revenues to $3.55 billion and nearly doubled its staff to 8,400. It has opened 17 new offices worldwide and established itself as a full-service management consultancy with global reach.
"BCG has been steadily gaining share on its competitors and is extremely well positioned to continue its growth trajectory," said Bürkner, who as CEO is based in Frankfurt and New York. "I have absolutely no doubt that with his inspiring leadership, Rich will bring many new ideas and take BCG to the next level."
When German-born Bürkner, a Rhodes Scholar and former global leader of the firm's Financial Institutions practice, took the reins in 2004, he became BCG's first non-U.S.-born CEO. In 2003, the year of his election, Consulting magazine ranked him the industry's number-one most influential consultant.
Lesser comes to the job with his own impressive credentials. Before being named regional chairman for the Americas in 2009, he had served as head of the New York Metro office system since 2000 and on the firm's Executive Committee since 2006. His client work has focused on innovation, strategy, and large-scale transformation in the health care and consumer sectors. In 2009, Consulting magazine named him one of the industry's most influential consultants.
Prior to joining BCG in 1988, Lesser worked in product development at Procter & Gamble. He earned an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a BSE in chemical engineering summa cum laude from the University of Michigan. He is married with three children.
BCG's partner group, numbering more than 700, elected Lesser in a multiround selection process that is unusually democratic. Unlike the process at the firm's main competitors, each BCG partner, regardless of seniority, has one vote in the CEO election, as well as in other major management decisions. It is a reflection of BCG's collaborative, nonhierarchical culture.
BCG was founded in 1963 by the late Bruce Henderson, who led the firm until 1980, when he became Chairman of the Board and was succeeded by Alan Zakon. Zakon was followed by John Clarkeson, who was CEO from 1986 to 1997 and later Chairman, and then by Carl Stern, who was CEO from 1998 to 2003 and later Chairman.
Lesser will be taking over as BCG prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. He will face a challenging economic climate but also many new opportunities stemming from the firm's geographic expansion, breadth of industry knowledge, and depth of functional expertise. BCG differentiates itself through its highly customized and innovative solutions, mobilization of the client organization at all levels, and development of client capabilities.
"I am honored and humbled to be elected as BCG's next CEO," said Lesser. "Hans-Paul Bürkner has created a superb platform on which to build. Working with him and the rest of the partner group, I look forward to broadening and deepening our expertise, strengthening our client relationships globally, and expanding opportunities for our people -- all the while maintaining our unique culture, heritage of thought leadership, and stellar reputation as a best place to work."
About The Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 77 offices in 42 countries. For more information, please visit www.bcg.com.
About bcgperspectives.com
bcgperspectives.com is a new website -- available on PC, mobile phone, and iPad -- that features the latest thinking from BCG experts as well as from CEOs, academics, and other leaders. It covers issues at the top of senior management's agenda. It also provides unprecedented access to BCG's extensive archive of thought leadership stretching back almost 50 years to the days of Bruce Henderson, the firm's founder and one of the architects of modern management consulting. All of our content -- including videos, podcasts, commentaries, and reports -- can be accessed via PC, mobile, iPad, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
No comments:
Post a Comment