They're young. They're talented. And they're consultants who are changing the world. That's why Consulting is honoring our inaugural batch of 20-something standouts. Read on to find out how each member of this professionally engaged and socially conscious group is making a difference at their companies and in their global neighborhoods.
It’s easy, almost too easy, for one generation to criticize the next. Poking fun at your predecessors is a tradition that goes back at least several generations. We’ve all heard the stereotypes of this next generation of workers; some of those stereotypes are probably accurate, some of them are not. Here’s our take: From a business perspective, this generation is far and away superior to anything that’s come before it. When we set out to find the rising stars of consulting, we had no idea what we were in for. Frankly, we were blown away by the quality of the 300 or so nominations we received for this, our inaugural 30 Under 30 award. With so many qualified, or perhaps even overqualified applicants, we struggled to narrow down the field down to just 30.
It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago (and in some cases even more recently than that), the consultants on the following pages were getting out of school and preparing to set the world on fire. And guess what? They have. This year’s class includes a founder of his own firm, an interim CFO, a consultant with a 164 percent utilization rate and one who began with her firm at the age of 20. Indeed, this group is changing the world—your world. And even if you don’t work with them, you likely have seen the indirect effects of their work in your everyday life. That is, if you drive a car, take a prescription medication, use a computer or have been to a retail store lately.
And, in keeping true to this generation’s ideals, all of them are standouts in their local communities—whether it’s doing volunteer work, competing in Ironman competitions or running political campaigns. So read on to learn about the talent we’ve uncovered. And pay attention, we may all end working for one of them one day.
CHARLIE DEAN
PA Consulting Group
Principal Consultant
Age: 29
“Charlie Dean’s approach to clients has frequently been called the epitome of PA,” says Dale Robinson, the colleague who nominated Dean. Those clients have primarily been in the medical device and pharmaceutical sector, Dean says, adding his job is simply to do what his clients want to do—whether it’s changing the design process, buying new equipment or writing new software—but don’t have the resources to do. “So they use us an as external engineering resource,” he says.
Dean was originally based in the U.K. when he started with the firm in 2002, but came to the U.S. in 2004 when PA wanted to grow its stateside operations. “[I thought] I would love to live somewhere else, and America had a big draw so I was like, ‘Yup! I’m going.’” He immediately went to work at a medical device company in Puerto Rico, where he developed a project structure system. “That was really interesting because as an engineer I’d always been involved in actually developing and designing products myself... but never really that actively involved in actually setting up the governance for how to run a project like that.”
Dean, who lives in New York, doesn’t have any plans to return to the U.K., but he’s considering helping PA expand its next frontier: the West Coast. “I very much love what I do. At the moment, I’m at the perfect place where I can do everything I want.”
