BOSTON AND LONDON (Jan. 15, 2020) — L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consulting firm, has appointed 19 new partners. The promotions recognize the outstanding insights and expertise that these leaders bring to bear for the firm’s clients around the world and in multiple industries.
“We are pleased to announce our most recent partner appointments and recognize these individuals for their superb work helping L.E.K. deliver strong results and value to our clients across the range of businesses and sectors we serve worldwide,” said Stuart Jackson, Global Managing Partner. “We appreciate their efforts and achievements as we continue to expand our capabilities and to meet and anticipate demand for our growing number of services.”
L.E.K.’s new partners are as follows:
Verena Ahnert is based in L.E.K. Consulting’s London office and advises a wide range of clients in the biopharmaceutical, diagnostics and research tool sectors. Ahnert has extensive experience related to long-term growth strategies and new product expansion opportunities, with particular interest in pricing and market access strategies. Prior to joining L.E.K., Ahnert worked as an independent consultant in the life sciences industry, focusing on business planning and market entry for diagnostics and life science tool companies. She holds an M. Phil. and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
Becrom Basu, based in the London office, specializes in the transport, travel and new mobility sectors and advises a range of clients on global strategy, decision support, M&A and strategy activation projects. He has substantial experience advising clients on transport disruption across sharing, connectivity, autonomy and electrification challenges. Prior to joining L.E.K. in 2005, Basu worked at EUROCONTROL, the European agency for air traffic management, and held managerial positions at various corporations and startups. He holds a first class honors in M.Eng. Chemical Engineering from University College London and an MBA from INSEAD.
Mark Boyd-Boland, based in L.E.K.’s London office, is a member of the global Consumer practice. Boyd-Boland has led a number of high-profile strategy and transformation projects for large corporates and provided buy- and sell-side support on multiple transactions. He has extensive experience advising clients across the retail, consumer products, and travel and leisure sectors, having worked on a broad range of strategic engagements including growth strategy, digital strategy, proposition development, customer segmentation, loyalty and customer experience, and market entry. He holds undergraduate degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of Sydney and an MBA from INSEAD.
David Chalmers is a member of the firm’s Organization and Performance practice. Based in Melbourne, Australia, he supports major organizations on a range of needs, including corporate and organizational strategy, transaction support, and performance improvement. Chalmers has a particular interest in assisting businesses during periods of change and designing and implementing sustainable performance improvement solutions. Prior to joining L.E.K. in 2014, Chalmers held operational positions across manufacturing and engineering at General Motors. He received bachelor’s degrees with honors in Engineering and Technology from Monash University and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.
Franco Ciulla specializes in a wide range of industries, including the oil and gas, power transmission and distribution, environment and sustainability, and energy sectors. Based in the Houston office, he advises energy, environmental and service clients on complex problem-solving, edge and organizational strategy, M&A, performance improvement, private equity, and transaction support. Prior to joining L.E.K., Ciulla worked in different consulting and research firms, mostly related to the energy industry. He earned an M.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas.
Emily Davis is a member of the Consumer practice and has worked across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of New South Wales. Davis joined L.E.K. in 2007 and returned to the firm’s Sydney office in 2012 after receiving her MBA from Harvard Business School.
Anne Dhulesia is a member of the European Life Sciences practice. Based in London, she advises clients on a wide range of assignments in the sector (from drugs to outsourced services such as CDMO), including the identification of business development opportunities, business plan development, market potential assessments and defining long-term strategies. She also provides transaction support to pharmaceutical, biotech and private equity firms looking to acquire, divest or exit assets. Dhulesia holds a bachelor’s degree from Ecole Normale Superieure (Ulm) in Paris, a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from London Business School.
Charles Dirrig specializes in the consumer and industrial goods sectors. He advises major buyout funds and leading corporate clients on due diligence, strategy, sales and distribution, digital, and M&A. Prior to joining L.E.K.’s Beijing office, Dirrig was a Principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. He holds an M.Sc. from ParisTech and speaks Mandarin fluently.
Matthew Gordon is L.E.K.’s Group Chief Financial Officer. Based in the London office, he has over 20 years of senior experience in strategic, commercial and operational finance roles in publicly listed, privately held and private equity-backed businesses. Before joining L.E.K., Gordon was Group Chief Financial Officer at Cloudreach, a cloud technology group backed by Blackstone. Prior to that, he was CFO at PA Consulting and held senior financial roles at Mapeley, Diageo and Orange. Gordon trained as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte and holds a bachelor’s degree in French and German from Bristol University.
Yuta Inokuchi is a member of the firm’s Life Sciences practice. Based in Tokyo, he is a biopharmaceutical and healthcare specialist, and has led projects in biopharma and biotech, medical devices, contractor services, life sciences tools, and broader healthcare sectors on a range of topics relating to growth strategy, organizational strategy and transaction support. Prior to joining L.E.K., Inokuchi worked at Japanese consulting firms in Singapore and Tokyo. He earned a bachelor’s degree from International Christian University in Tokyo and a Master of Science from Tokyo University.
Chinmay Jhaveri is a member of the Global Education practice. He advises educational companies, universities, private equity investors and regulators on a range of areas, including market entry, growth and pricing strategy, IPO road maps, buy- and sell-side diligences, post-acquisition strategies, and policy development. Jhaveri has extensive experience leading project teams across the K-12, higher education, early years, English language training, transnational education and education technology segments. Prior to joining L.E.K., Jhaveri served as Senior Vice President of the Education Centre of Excellence at EY-Parthenon. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business.
Sudeep Laad is a member of the Global Education practice. He works closely with a wide range of clients on strategic decisions, investment opportunities and operational value creation. He has experience in over 40 countries covering education segments, including K-12, tertiary education, transnational education, after-school supplementary education, language learning and education technology. Prior to joining L.E.K., he was a Senior Vice President at the Education Centre of Excellence at EY-Parthenon. Laad holds a Bachelor of Technology from IIT Bombay and an MBA from the Indian School of Business.
Stephen Matthews is based in the Los Angeles office and a member of the Technology, Media and Entertainment (TMT) practice. He advises clients on a range of issues related to strategy development, customer segmentation, diversification, pricing, go-to-market approaches and M&A. He has substantial experience assessing and evaluating addressable markets, generating growth forecasts and strategies, and providing sales expertise for clients across the industry. Matthews holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and has conducted externships with Warner Bros. Entertainment and the British Government.
Gavin McGrath, based in Boston, is a leader in the Industrials Digital practice in the Americas region. He has experience across industrial digital issues, including digital products and business models, digital customer experience and ecommerce, the “internet of things” and Industry 4.0, digital ways of working, and digital readiness. He assists corporate clients and M&A professionals with strategy, organizational transformation and transaction support assignments. Prior to joining L.E.K., McGrath worked in corporate development at Sony Corp. and consumer marketing at the Boston Red Sox and Bose Corp. He has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College.
Natasha Santha is a member of the firm’s New Mobility, Transport and Infrastructure practices. Based in Melbourne, Australia, she has significant experience in transport and infrastructure segments, with particular expertise in public transport operations, heavy asset procurement, major project investment evaluation, bid support and airport ground access. Santha regularly advises governments and infrastructure owners on the impacts of new and emerging technologies and services relating to their organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Systems), a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.
Dr. Stefan Schrettle is based in L.E.K.’s Munich office. He works closely with corporate and private equity clients across the healthcare services and medical technology sectors on strategy development, transaction support, market entry and rollup strategies, and business model transformation. He has experience across multiple countries on outpatient care, medical devices, intensive and elderly care, and healthcare IT. Prior to joining L.E.K., Schrettle worked for PwC Advisory and the Institute of Technology Management at the University of St. Gallen, where he also received a Ph.D. in Strategic Management and Business Innovation. He holds a graduate degree from the University of Augsburg with a focus on strategy and innovation management.
Martha Torres is based in the São Paulo, Brazil, office. She has nearly 15 years of consulting experience, managing client engagements spanning more than 100 projects. She has worked on a wide range of strategy engagements across the travel and transport sector, as well as the retail and consumer products sector. Torres has advised clients on a range of critical strategic issues including growth strategy, new business development, go-to-market approaches, customer care, corporate turnaround and M&A transaction support. Prior to joining L.E.K., Torres was a Senior Manager at Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co.). She holds a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA).
Andre Valente is based in L.E.K.’s London office and a member of the European Healthcare and Life Sciences practices. He co-leads the majority of the firm’s contract pharmaceutical services activity and advises global medical devices (including ophthalmology and dental), healthcare services and private equity clients on corporate strategy and M&A. Prior to joining L.E.K., Valente was a consultant with Deloitte in Portugal. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Porto and an MBA from INSEAD.
Eric Wang advises clients in L.E.K.’s Shanghai office on a variety of issues, including strategy development, M&A and operation transformation across the automotive, energy, logistics, chemicals and high tech sectors. Prior to joining L.E.K., Wang had 10 years of consulting and industry experience at Monitor Deloitte, A.T. Kearney and ExxonMobil. He holds a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University.
About L.E.K. Consulting
L.E.K. Consulting is a global management consulting firm that uses deep industry expertise and rigorous analysis to help business leaders achieve practical results with real impact. We are uncompromising in our approach to helping clients consistently make better decisions, deliver improved business performance and create greater shareholder returns. The firm advises and supports global companies that are leaders in their industries — including the largest private and public-sector organizations, private equity firms, and emerging entrepreneurial businesses. Founded in 1983, L.E.K. employs more than 1,600 professionals across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. For more information, go to www.lek.com.