Transformation Talent: Understanding Strategy
The rise of the independent consultant has been particularly prevalent within the PE sector as the funds look for results in their portfolio companies, and as well as early stage external advice from consulting firms, look to bring in specific expertise in specialist fields and with the overriding goal to implement as well as to plan. Lukasz is a perfect example of the kind of talent that understands strategy and delivery and becomes an asset to PE funds and their portfolio companies when transformation is underway.
Q. When you’re at a networking event, how do you describe your independent career status, and where you focus your work?
Strategic consultant focused on driving growth for PE. Experienced in CDD (buy side and sell side) as well as optimizing portfolio companies. Focus on Transformation, Growth, M&A. I pursue an independent career as it allows me to leverage my best skills and build stronger relationships.
Q. Why do you think there is increasing demand for independent expertise with PE operating teams?
I believe it's because PE has tested a few models and stick to the one that works for them. Tangible value is delivered in a short amount of time. Supply side plays the role as well - the talent pool is different compared to, for example, 5 years ago. Thanks to Talmix, PE now can choose the right profile from the global pool without going through the long recruitment campaign.
Q. Describe a recent or successful assignment in terms of scope, duration and any particular highlights in the outcomes.
As part of the growth strategy, a PE firm decided to expand their portfolio business internationally. The question was: where and how to play. Instead of starting another consulting project and spend many days on onboarding and alignment, I was hired to prepare the new market entry model and together with internal teams, assess the readiness for implementation . This approach was much faster but most importantly allowed the internal team to feel engaged later in the implementation phase.
Q. What advice would you give to anyone about to embark on an independent career as to how they can provide the best results for a client, while fulfilling their own career path?
If I could tell just one thing it would be : spend great amount of time to understand what drives real value in this engagement, align with stakeholders and deliver great quality.
Talmix is the home of business talent, and consultants like Lukasz are able to provide the strategic and implementation skills that can drive transformation projects. If you'd like to engage with someone like Lukasz, then post a project today, or contact us for more ideas on building global talent pools and future workforce planning.