Chris
Principal, Evanston Office
Education
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, Kellogg School of Management
M.B.A. in Marketing and Management Policy, 1989
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
B.A. in Accounting, 1986
ZS Career Path
Consultant (Evanston office), 1989
- Moved to U.K. to open the London office, 1990
Manager, 1992
- Moved to the Evanston office, 1993
Principal, 1995
- Managing Principal (Evanston office), 2002-present
On the work
"I've worked on hundreds of projects, so it is hard to pick a single one as my favorite. Rather, I can relate the type of project I like. I find it rewarding to teach our clients new things. ZS brings tangible value to each project. We are experts and our consultants become experts quickly because we maintain focus. It's rewarding to achieve expertise in a given field and be recognized for it. Our clients usually like us and appreciate the work that we do to help them grow the top line."
On ZS values
Treat People Right: "ZS people help each other, no matter how busy they are. When I was a brand new consultant, I was having problems and a colleague came over and spent two hours helping me out. Later that night as I was getting ready to go home, I noticed the guy who helped me was still there. He ended up staying later than I did that night. The key here is that this guy did not feel like he was competing with me. There are more than enough opportunities for everyone, so people don't feel like they have to hoard knowledge and skills. Our people don't compete with each other, because they don't have to compete! Also, people at ZS don't help you just because they are nice. They help because they are genuinely intrigued by the problems and want to know how to solve them. There is a level of discomfort in not knowing the answer, and this pushes us to find the solution."
On life outside work
"I own a sailboat that I keep in a harbor near Evanston and I enjoy racing on the weekends during the summer. In the autumn, I play basketball on the ZS team."
On the Evanston office
"I am originally from the Chicago area, and all of my immediate family still lives here, which includes 20 nieces and nephews to go along with my four children. So I have a deep personal connection to the area and would rather not leave. The Evanston area is a great place to live and work. From the office we have a great view of the lake and downtown Chicago. For me, it's nice being by the lake because of my passion for sailing."