Chris
Principal, London Office
Education
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, St. John’s College
Ph.D. in Materials Science and Metallurgy, 1994
B.A. in Natural Sciences, 1990
Memories of Cambridge: My favorite memory is getting married in the St. John’s College Chapel while I was doing my post-doc. It was a fabulous setting with the reception taking place in the Hall. Apart from that, I really enjoyed seeing the mist rising off the river during early morning rowing practice. In particular, I enjoyed the University Fours races, especially during the season when we won.
Hometown
Wokingham, Berkshire, England
ZS Career Path
Business Analyst (London office), 1995
Consultant, 1996
Manager, 1998
Principal, 2001
-Moved to the Evanston office, 2002
-Moved to the London office, 2003
On the work
“I worked with the U.K. affiliate of a small pharmaceutical company who wanted us to work on the selling strategy for the re-launch of their main brand. It was a critical issue for the management team and the company as it was their only significant product, so the whole company’s success depended on it. The client team was passionate about the product and it was very rewarding to work with them to identify and value new opportunities for their brand. We then worked closely in partnership with the U.K. leadership to promote the recommendations to the corporate board—a long and arduous process. Our client finally got the go-ahead and re-launched the product, which has gone from being an ‘also-ran’ to the market leader, making a huge difference to the U.K. business.”
On ZS values
Do the Right Thing: “I remember when I was a Business Analyst working hard on a piece of analysis. The Principal on the project was waiting to review my work but knew that there was little he could contribute to the technical analysis, so he ‘mucked in’ with the team by doing the photocopying which we needed for the final meeting.
"There have been a number of instances when we have been involved in long-term client relationships and the client has approached us asking us to do a project that we believed would not add value to their organization. We have declined the work after explaining our reasons to them, and in the long-term this has always led to greater trust with the client.”
Treat People Right: “When I was still relatively junior in the organization I started working with a small pharmaceutical company. I developed a good relationship with them and in time generated more business from them. Then they merged with a larger firm to become a very important client for ZS. In many other companies the client relationship might have been handed over to a senior partner but I believe that it is a great reflection on the meritocratic attitude at ZS that I stayed as the relationship manager.
"I can remember a time when a junior person had attended a meeting on his own. For reasons beyond his control the meeting had gone badly and he was very upset. His manager heard about it and drove in on his day off to make sure that the B.A. was O.K.”
On life outside work
“I love traveling! During my time in the Evanston office my wife and I made the most of our weekends to visit much of the U.S., including many of the National Parks, such as Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon and Zion.”
On the London office
“The people who work here are friends as well as colleagues. Informal drinks happen most Fridays and oftentimes, especially if it is a special occasion, former ZSers will return to see their old friends.“