Digital by Design: Launching Strategic Innovation for a Global Insights Firm

Client Overview

Our client is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, the company has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world’s leading businesses across major industries rely on our client to guide their customer-facing strategies.

With a clear mission to unite industry-leading data and insights with world-class technology, the company aims to solve its clients’ toughest challenges while empowering industry transformation through advanced data solutions.

The Challenge / Mandate

A newly formed group within the client organization required experienced consulting support to define and deliver key digital transformation initiatives. The mandate called for a consultant with a strong generalist consulting toolkit, capable of operating in ambiguity and driving early-stage strategy development across multiple cross-functional priorities.

The Search

The client specifically requested a consultant from our network who had previously delivered successful outcomes in similarly dynamic and transformative environments. We focused on individuals with top-tier consulting experience, strong analytical skills, technology fluency, and a demonstrated ability to translate insights into action. The selected consultant came with a background in strategy, change management, and digital implementation.

The Placement

The consultant placed was a Harvard MBA with deep experience leading enterprise-level initiatives and a background in financial engineering, digital marketing, and technology strategy. As an independent consultant, they had supported clients with business model innovation, e-commerce platform development, and the execution of transformation roadmaps. Their skillset included change management, business plan execution, quantitative analysis, and cross-functional strategy delivery. The consultant was known for bringing both intellectual rigor and emotional intelligence to fast-paced, high-stakes projects.

The Outcome

The requested consultant was successfully placed to support the new strategic group during a pivotal stage of its formation. Drawing on her prior knowledge of the organization and her diverse consulting experience, she quickly integrated into the team and established herself as a valuable strategic partner.

Her immediate priorities included helping the group clarify its mandate, structure early-stage digital initiatives, and align transformation goals with broader enterprise objectives. She worked closely with internal stakeholders across technology, operations, and marketing to assess current capabilities and identify areas for improvement. In parallel, she helped shape business cases for new digital programs, grounded in market research, data-driven insights, and long-term scalability.

As the team matured, the consultant also played a key role in facilitating change management—translating complex strategies into clear action plans and gaining buy-in from senior leaders. Her ability to navigate ambiguity, provide structure, and bring cross-functional stakeholders together helped lay the foundation for the group’s long-term success.

The project underscored the value of targeted, high-caliber consulting support in launching new initiatives. The consultant’s impact not only accelerated the group's early progress but also reinforced the organization's broader commitment to innovation and transformation.