John Abernathy is a member of the management team of West Monroe Partners, where he is responsible for delivering client solutions in the food and distribution industries. John has more than 30 years of experience in business-unit operations and information technology.  

Highlights

John Abernathy has extensive experience in the disciplines of management and technology consulting, manufacturing, retail, wholesale distribution, logistics, distribution, warehousing, procurement, and sales and order management.

As a senior project manager and strategy executive for West Monroe Partners, John assists leadership of the Enterprise solutions practice, bringing extensive experience in business process, IT operations management, organizational design, and strategy disciplines. His primary focus is on middle-market clients in the food, retail, and manufacturing and distribution industries. He works with clients on merger and acquisition due diligence, IT strategy, IT organizational design, business process optimization, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software selection and implementation, and complex project management.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners in 2005, John worked for several global consulting organizations, including Bearing Point, the Senn-Delaney retail unit of Arthur Andersen, and KPMG Peat Marwick, all in Chicago. He also has served as a group project director for Armature/BACG, a multinational organization providing ERP and supply chain software and consulting services to the retail and distribution industries. In addition, he has held IT executive positions with several organizations in the medical supplies and grocery industries.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Southwest Missouri State University.

Brian Alletto is a Senior Architect in the Infrastructure practice at West Monroe Partners, with over 12 years of experience in designing, building, and supporting complex physical and virtual server infrastructures.  His recent project experience includes server and storage virtualization initiatives, for a range of clients and industries.

Highlights
Brian has successfully implemented many network and server infrastructure technologies, including server and desktop virtualization, storage area networks, network management, and various Microsoft technologies.  He has worked with clients across a diverse range of industries, including financial services, private equity, manufacturing, and professional services. 
Brian’s server virtualization experience includes projects using both the VMWare and Microsoft virtualization platforms, in environments of varying scope and size.  He has successfully implement shared storage systems from a variety of vendors, including NetApp, EMC, Equallogic, and Lefthand.

Before joining West Monroe Partners in 2007, Brian worked over five years as a network engineer for Katten Muchin Rosenman, LLP, a 1600-person law firm with offices in the United States and United Kingdom. He was responsible for the design, implementation, and administration of various server and network computer systems and applications. He began his career as an experienced consultant in the Advanced Technology Group of Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting practice, where he specialized in network and server infrastructure design and implementation. His project experience included customer relationship management, document management, IT planning, and infrastructure implementation.

Brian earned a Master of Taxation degree from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Miami University. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and a VMWare Certified Professional.

Doug Armstrong is a member of the executive team of West Monroe Partners, where he leads the Customer Experience and Enterprise Content Management practices and works with many private equity firm clients to conduct IT and customer due diligence. Doug is also responsible for the company's business development and marketing function and serves on its Board of Directors.  

Highlights

Doug Armstrong leads many client projects focused on customer acquisition and retention strategy, eBusiness strategy, customer relationship management, knowledge sharing and collaboration, enterprise content management and portal technologies, Internet marketing, software requirements and selection, web site redesigns, usability testing, Internet operations efficiency, IT due diligence, and transaction-related services. His clients span a wide range of industries.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Doug was a partner with Arthur Andersen's Business Consulting practice, where he created, led, and managed a global Internet consultancy practice of more than 200 professionals specializing in Internet design, portals, content management, and development. Doug created and managed Andersen's in-house digital marketing group, managed the group responsible for global knowledge capital and global best practices, and was responsible for the firm's external web sites and client extranet offerings. He also led the implementation of marketing programs for a variety of new service line launches, advertising, interactive marketing, public relations, and brand management.

Doug has served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, where he instructs undergraduate and MBA students in "Strategic Marketing," "Integrated Marketing Communications," and "Technology and the Marketing Function." He co-authored The Clickable Corporation: Successful Strategies for Capturing the Internet Advantage (The Free Press, July 1999) and has shared insights at dozens of conferences and seminars dealing with strategic Internet topics, marketing, and knowledge management. He was invited to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Development Congress in Washington, D.C. and Hong Kong, and IBM's "Make it Easy" conference.

Doug received a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Tulane University in New Orleans. He is a member of the Springboard Foundation, which was created to improve the quality of life in Chicago's economically challenged neighborhoods through the support of small, not-for-profit organizations throughout Chicago.

Yves Belanger is responsible for delivering solutions involving operations and supply chain measurement, process improvements, and logistics network design. He also provides leadership for the company’s practice in Canada.

Highlights
Yves joined West Monroe Partners in 2006 through its merger with LxLi. At LxLi, Yves was instrumental in logistics strategy development and deployment, operational reviews, operational turnarounds, e-commerce strategy, engineered labor standards, and union audits for leading firms in Canada, the USA and Australia. Yves' responsibilities center on logistics and process optimization.

Described as a "pioneer in the industry" through his leadership in applying industrial engineering concepts to sectors beyond manufacturing, Yves has designed and implemented innovative processes at major North American distribution and retail store operations. He is recognized for his ability to take ideas and concepts typically associated with one industry, and adapt them to another where they create a totally new and effective means of meeting operational challenges.

Yves’ industry background includes serving as vice president, logistics for SERCA Foodservice Inc. (now Sysco Food Services), where he was responsible for the consolidation of the distribution network. Yves also led the rollout of the Warehouse Management System, allowing for the effective implementation of engineered labor standards.

Prior to his position with SERCA, Yves was the director of industrial engineering with Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food wholesaler and retailer. Yves led several Supply Chain design initiatives (overall network strategy, General Merchandise, Fresh Food, and Slow Moving Warehouse). Moreover, Yves was responsible for the development and implementation of engineered labor standards for 25 distribution centers.

In 2000 the Institute of Industrial Engineers named Yves Outstanding Young Engineer in recognition of his talent and leadership. He is a certified MOST® practitioner and a regular speaker on industrial engineering and other topics.

Yves holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in industrial engineering and a Master's degree from Ecole Polytechnique Montreal.

Dan Belmont is a member of the management team of West Monroe Partners, where he is responsible for developing the firm’s capabilities and serving clients in the utilities industry within the company’s Energy and Utilities practice. Dan has more than 15 years of experience in design and development of wireless networks, sales, manufacturing, management, and consulting in highly technical product industries.

Highlights

With a strong technical and entrepreneurial background, Dan provides leadership for West Monroe Partners’ Energy & Utilities practice strategy and its work for industry clients. In particular, he applies strong working knowledge of many wireless platforms to assist West Monroe Partners’ utilities clients as they evaluate and adopt Smart Grid solutions through the use of wired and wireless IP backhaul, Advanced Metering Infrastructure and IT integration technologies.

Dan has played an instrumental role in numerous municipal, cooperative and IOU projects to scope and design Smart Grid communication networks, define cost structure and budgeting, establish vendor relationships, plan implementation, and negotiate vendor contracts. He also has supported many efforts ARRA 2009 Smart Grid Investment grant applications for consideration by the Department of Energy to provide stimulus funding.

Dan joined West Monroe Partners in 2008 following the sale of db3 Broadband, LLC, a high-growth wireless Internet service provider that he founded in Lake County, Illinois, in 2003. As vice president and general manager, he established the company’s business model, secured financing, designed and built the company’s network, hired staff, and played an instrumental role in acquiring and integrating networks that complemented db3’s own offerings.  By 2005, db3 Broadband grew to 30 towers covering over 1500 square miles serving thousands of customers and was one of the fastest-growing wireless Internet service providers in the Chicagoland area.

Before founding db3 Broadband, Dan was the Midwest Regional Sales and Marketing manager for National Starch and Chemical Company, a division of ICI Specialty Chemicals. He progressed quickly through the corporate structure in the company through his discovery and development of new product lines, involvement in a company-wide Siebel implementation, and involvement in new Internet-based initiatives.  He also developed a new cohesive nationwide catalog, collateral marketing and website that were adopted by many other divisions of ICI Specialty Chemicals. Some of thisis still in use today.

Previously, Dan held sales and project management positions with several Chicago-area technical and industrial enterprises, developing a strong reputation for business development, customer satisfaction, and technology innovation. Concurrently, he co-owned and operated a three-location travel agency.  Dan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Northern Illinois University and an e-Business certification from the University of Chicago Graham School of Business.

Gary Beu is the firm’s managing director-People and Leadership Development. He is an accomplished human resources and operational executive with more than 35 years of global professional services experience.

Highlights

Gary Beu is an entrepreneurial leader with a proven track record of combining astute business sense with human resources expertise to solve organizational and operational issues.

Gary’s career spans all of the facets of human resources and operational management vital to a profession driven by talent and intellectual capital. He has earned respect as a leader and innovator in HR strategy, employee relations, compensation and benefits, performance management, recruitment and retention, career management, leadership development, regulatory matters, infrastructure and information systems, training, and diversity and inclusion.

Gary spent the majority of his career with Arthur Andersen, where he held a number of local, national and global human resources leadership roles, including global managing partner-Employee Matters; managing partner-US Partner Matters; and director-Human Resources for the Chicago office, Heartland market circle, and US central region. He also held several key operational roles, including leading a large consulting business unit, and served on several global advisory committees. He joined West Monroe Partners in September 2009 from Kirkland & Ellis, one of the world’s largest law firms, where he served as chief human resources officer for four years.

During his tenure as a human resources leader, both Arthur Andersen and Kirkland & Ellis were recognized for their people practices and career opportunities by organizations including FORTUNE®, Working Mother, the Human Rights Council, and Catalyst.

Gary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Valparaiso University, where he continues to serve on the College of Business Administration National Advisory Council. He has been active in the Chicago community throughout his career, and is presently co-chairman of the board of the Midwest chapter of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, as well a member of the Human Resources Advisory Committee for Chicago Scholars, a college preparatory program for high potential inner city youth. He also is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Human Resource Management Association of Chicago.

Jeffrey Block is a senior manager in West Monroe Partners’ Technology Integration practice. He has more than 20 years of broad business and technology experience, working with organizations from start-up enterprises to Fortune® 100 corporations.

Highlights

Jeffrey Block is an accomplished consultant and corporate leader who delivers best-in-class thought leadership and practical strategy that helps his clients achieve business goals. He has deep experience in strategic planning, project and program management, business intelligence, IT architecture, systems integration, and networking, as well as skills in a wide array of technologies and platform.

Jeffrey joined West Monroe Partners from NextWave Logistics a provider of cloud based enterprise framework software for which he was the data architecture and delivery lead. At NextWave, Jeffrey designed highly scalable data and BI architecture for high-volume data driven applications.

Previously, Jeffrey was advised clients in healthcare (Payor and MSO), financial markets, logistics, manufacturing, banking and automotive. He also was a Director of Technical Operations for ShipNow Software in Chicago, Architect and Chief Technology Officer for The Golfer.com in San Diego, Managing Consultant for Optimal Integrated Solutions (Carlsbad, California) and a consultant Computer Sciences Corporation’s Healthcare division. Jeffrey began his career as an analyst with Ford Motor Credit  Company in Troy, Michigan.

Jeffrey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from The Broad School of Business at Michigan State University. He also possesses technical certifications from Cisco and Microsoft.

Tom Bolger is the Managing Director of the Seattle Office and co-leads the Banking practice for the firm.  In 2005, Tom founded the Seattle office for West Monroe and subsequently launched the Banking practice in 2006.  Prior to joining West Monroe, Tom spent many years working in both financial services and consulting, developing a unique background leading very large, transformational projects.

Highlights
Over the course of his career, Tom has spent considerable time as both a consultant and a client.  This experience had provided him with a unique perspective on delivering solutions that address the client’s critical business needs in a timely fashion, using an approach honed while serving on both sides of the client/consultant relationship.

While at WMP, Tom has led many transformational projects in such areas as mergers and acquisitions, digital channels, payments, and the alignment of technology with strategic objectives.  His clients have included private institutions with under $150M in assets up to publicly traded firms with revenue in excess of $20B.

Before joining West Monroe Partners in 2005, Tom held several key positions with Washington Mutual, including business unit manager for the company's debit card business and vice president/manager for online banking. Washington Mutual was the third-largest debit card issuer in the United States, with more than 11 million customers.

Tom managed several very large programs for Washington Mutual, including the launch of company's online retail and commercial banking platforms and one of the largest debit card conversions in U.S. banking history. Both of these initiatives involved teams of more than 300 people and budgets in excess of $50 million. The experience managing vendor services not only honed his project and operational management skills, it enabled him to develop a finely tuned sense for providing consulting services in a way that is responsive to the needs and expectations of his clients.

Prior to joining Washington Mutual, Tom spent several years as a consultant with Saltmine, a Seattle-based internet consulting firm, and with Arthur Andersen in Chicago. His consulting experience spanned multiple industries, including retail banking, P&C insurance, capital markets, and professional services.

As a member of Arthur Andersen's Strategic Technologies leadership team, Tom conceptualized and presented alternative strategic directions for the firm's Business Consulting practice. He also assisted in the creation of the firm's successful electronic commerce practice in the mid-90’s.

Tom graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Computer Applications and Psychology. When he isn't working, he and his family enjoy the ample backpacking, mountain biking and snowboarding opportunities of the Pacific Northwest.

Tom Borchers is a senior manager in West Monroe Partners’ Technology Infrastructure practice. He has more than 10 years of experience equipping clients across a broad range of industries with the technology foundations necessary to advance their business goals.

Highlights

Tom Borchers applies IT strategy and information systems planning, technical infrastructure, and project/program management and budgeting expertise to assist chief information officers and other business and IT executives with critical initiatives. His clients cover a range of industries, including the real estate, retail, manufacturing, professional services, public services/government, healthcare, and not-for-profit sectors, as well as futures commission merchants.

Tom has deep experience in a wide array of infrastructure matters, including directory services and authentication, enterprise data centers, disaster recovery policies and procedures, change control processes, platform architecture, capacity planning, clustering and load balancing, email migration, managed services providers, and business case evaluation.

He has assisted a number of clients with transaction-related infrastructure solutions including carving out divisions from parent organizations, developing new internal IT environments to support standalone operations, and integrating entities into the acquiring organizations’ environments. In addition, he has led a variety of other major infrastructure initiatives, including modernizing a retail website hosting platform; developing an innovative, web-based document management solution for consumer markets; producing strategic cost reduction recommendations; a developing new data centers.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Tom was a senior consultant in BearingPoint’s Technology Infrastructure & Integration practice and a consultant in Arthur Andersen’s Advanced Technology Group practice.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.

Nathalie Brunet is a Senior manager in West Monroe Partners’ Supply Chain practice, based in Montréal. She has more than 23 years of industrial engineering experience, specifically in the fields supply chain consulting and optimization, as well as Lean approach (manufacturing, distribution, office and healthcare)

Highlights

Nathalie Brunet is well known and respected as an innovator and entrepreneur in the operations and supply chain arena.  Her expertise includes supply chain performance, production and information systems, process reengineering enterprise strategy, and change management, in addition to highly refined skills in program management, budgeting, and team management. Over the course of her career, Nathalie has worked with an array of companies in the manufacturing, logistics and distribution, retail, professional services, and health and social services industries across Canada and internationally.

Nathalie joined West Monroe Partners from Groupe Brio!, a Montreal-based industrial engineering consultancy she founded in 2008. She developed Groupe Brio! from a start up to serve clients including Rona, Uniprix, Danone, DeSerres, MAAX and many others. West Monroe Partners acquired Groupe Brio! in June 2011.

Prior to founding Groupe Brio!, Nathalie was a vice president for LxLi Québec Inc., an industrial engineering and labor management consultancy that merged with West Monroe Partners in 2007. Previously, she was a logistics director for Sobeys Québec Inc, and held several planning roles with Société de Transport de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal. She also has been a lecturer on supply chain, logistics, and operations topics for Laval Technopole, an economic development organization, and École de Technologie Supérieure, a leading engineering University in Québec.

Recognized as a thought leader on emerging strategies such as flowcasting, efficient consumer response (ECR) and collaborative planning forecasting replenishment (CPFR), Nathalie is a frequent speaker and has authored or co-authored articles in numerous trade publications. She is involved in a variety of professional and civic associations. The Québec Businesswomen’s Network named her a finalist for 2010 Businesswoman of the Year in the category of companies with at least 20 employees.

Nathalie earned degrees in industrial engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal.

Perry Buffett is a director with West Monroe Partners specializing in change management and organizational design. He has more than 17 years of experience that spans organizational design and change, workforce enablement, strategic consulting, and learning.

Highlights

Perry Buffett is an accomplished organizational design and change management consulting with a strong track record for delivering results for Fortune 500 organizations across many industries, including communications, high technology, insurance, banking, manufacturing, retail, consumer products, government, healthcare, media and entertainment, restaurant and hospitality, and aerospace and defense.  He has proven boardroom relevance by identifying value propositions, tracking business case results, working effectively with senior executives, and demonstrating breakthrough thinking.

Perry has developed deep project management skills essential to organizational change and effectiveness by applying smart financial practices, holding teams accountable, orchestrating rigorous planning/execution, and managing risks effectively. He has developed strong core competencies in areas that support organizational design and change management, including corporate strategy, leadership alignment, process design, performance metrics, talent management, teamwork and collaboration, knowledge management, and culture change.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Perry was a senior associate with Booz & Company, a strategic management consulting company. He led strategic projects for clients’ chief executive officers and their direct reports, focusing on organizational design, change management, cost reduction, and leadership scope.

Previously, Perry created a new Change Management & Organizational Effectiveness practice for Slalom, a Chicago-based management consulting company that works with Fortune 500 clients. His work for clients in various industries focused on areas such as mission and vision facilitation, stakeholder leadership, organizational effectiveness, project sourcing effectiveness, communications, learning, and organizational design. Perry began his career with Accenture and progressed to the level of senior manager, where he led complex workforce transformations and served more than 25 Fortune 500 clients.

Perry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Behavior/Psychology from the Claremont Graduate School.  Perry also serves as a board member for Habitat for Humanity of Illinois.

Philip Burrell is a senior manager in West Monroe Partners Labor Management Solutions practice.  Philip has more than 14 years of experience helping international retailers and manufacturers improve their supply chain and retail operations. Philip is a proven leader with industrial engineering and project management expertise that designs and leads projects that integrate supply chain, logistics, and retail operations functions.

Highlights

Philip Burrell leads and drives projects that make retailers more efficient and effective in their retail and supply chain operations.  He collaborates with external and internal partners to identify opportunities to provide value and efficiency.

Philip is an accomplished supply chain and retail operations consultant who applies a well-structured and analytical approach to assessing operations and providing strategic recommendations.  By implementing these solutions, he helps his clients realize sustainable value as well as increase their efficiency.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners in 2009, Philip was a senior project manager for Bath & Body Works retail operations group.  He directed a team and ensured seamless execution of merchandise and non-merchandise flow and logistics activities that were implemented in-store by aligning, influencing, and managing cross-functional partnerships.  He provided project management expertise and capability to appropriately plan for and execute these in-store initiatives, and he managed the multi-million dollar financial impact of logistics and field storage projects.

Philip spent his early career at Gap Inc. as a regional engineering manager in the Global Engineering Services group of the Logistics Division.  He was responsible for the implementation of divisional initiatives in the company’s international distribution centers.  He also assisted with development of a network capacity plan for the company’s operations in Canada, which resulted in the design and build out of a new distribution center.

Philip earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Industrial Engineering & Technology from the University of Dayton.  He is a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. 
 

Carrie Camino is a Director in the Enterprise Solutions practice responsible for Business Model Optimization. Carrie’s hallmark is leading complex business transformation, and turning troubled programs into successful implementations. She is currently enhancing the firm’s capabilities and delivering solutions for the Insurance industry.

Highlights
Carrie Camino is a veteran of multiple mergers, complex transactions, and global management initiatives. Her background includes operations management, restructuring underperforming divisions, business unit integration, multiyear enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations, business re-engineering, software development, and multiple-source data conversions.

Carrie advises middle-market companies and private equity teams in the areas of operational performance, technology development and deployment, and organizational change management. Carrie’s industry experience includes financial services, healthcare, insurance, professional services, and technology. She is a respected leader in building cross-functional teams, realizing sustainable operational efficiencies, and guiding enterprise-wide change across business units and cultural backgrounds. A strategic thinker with strong planning ability and excellent business acumen, Carrie has solid client service and relationship management skills and effectively manages concurrent programs.

Carrie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, and later completed a Masters degree in Information Systems at DePaul University. She is a Graduate Student-at-Large at the University of Chicago Business School, and is currently pursuing a Certification in Turnaround Management.

Cory Chaplin is a senior architect and co-leader of West Monroe Partners’ Technology Integration practice, based in Chicago. He has 10 years of experience in IT architecture, application design and development, and large-scale project management.

Highlights

As a co-leader of West Monroe Partners Technology Integration practice, Cory Chaplin  is responsible for practice and team development, including market strategies, solution offerings, training and development, coordination with other technical and non-technical solutions, and ensuring that the practice maintains skills in evolving technologies.

Throughout his career, Cory has designed, built, and led custom application development projects using .NET, SQL Reporting Services, SQL Integration Services, and a variety of supporting technologies. He is well versed in n-tier application design and development, data concepts and implementation, and systems integration, as well as defining business process and functional requirements and translating those requirements into technical solutions.

He has led a number of large-scale custom application and integration projects across a variety of industries, with a particular focus on investor relations, deal management, reporting, and analytics solutions for private equity firms. He also has worked extensively with consumer products, financial services, and real estate clients.

Cory began his career in Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting practice and became one of the early members of West Monroe Partners, joining the firm in 2002.

Cory holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Corey is a member of C-SPIN, the Chicago Software Process Improvement Network. His work for Peapod earned several awards, including a Gomez.com award for Internet usability and a company “Founder’s Award” for product design and delivery. 

Cindy De Armond is a director with West Monroe Partners and leader of the company’s national Insurance Industry practice. She has more than 24 years of experience in core insurance leadership and transformation.

Highlights

Cindy De Armond is an accomplished insurance industry executive and consultant, with comprehensive experience encompassing business and market strategy, core insurance application implementation, and business transformation. She has an exceptional track record for designing insurance solutions, implementing packaged solutions, and developing custom transformation solutions.

Cindy’s experience spans front and back office solutions, including core competencies in operations, policy administration, billing, underwriting and rating, IT strategy, business and IT transformation, customer relationship management, large-scale program management, application development and integration, and software package selection. She is skilled in building and retaining high-performance teams with the leadership, resources, and motivation to achieve goals.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Cindy was an executive responsible for partner insurance strategy and transformation operations for IBM Business Consulting Services. In this capacity, she coordinated services to key accounts across the United States. She also led the Policy Administration Solution practice, which manages selection of insurance solution partners, and served as a subject matter experience for Personal & Commercial clients contemplating policy administration transformation initiatives.

Previously, Cindy held several executive roles with Zurich—Universal Underwriters Group, including director of business application architecture for automotive specialty markets. Here, she was responsible for the design and development of end-to-end policy processing operations—a business model transformation that supported a new strategic target market for the organization with new applications and submissions that are substantially higher than in the company’s traditional dealer model.

Tom Ewers is a Director in West Monroe Partners’ Seattle office.  He is responsible for expanding the firm’s relationships with the West Coast private equity market, and leading the firm’s unique offerings to this industry, including its pre-deal merger and acquisitions advisory, post-close integration, merger, and carve-out activities, as well as private equity back-office optimization.

Highlights

Tom Ewers is an accomplished executive who utilizes his broad business and IT consulting experience to deliver both strategic and targeted value on his engagements.

With West Monroe Partners, a recognized leader in serving companies involved in mergers and acquisitions, Tom works with private equity and strategic (corporate) buyers involved in or preparing for investments, divestitures and acquisitions. He assists buyers with pre-transaction IT due diligence, post-close integration, merger and carve-out activities, and strategic portfolio business and IT initiatives.

Over the course of his career, Tom has advised and worked directly with companies across a broad range of industries, including private equity, banking, business services, manufacturing,retail, and healthcare. Tom has highly sought skills involving mergers & acquisitions, IT strategy and planning, application architecture, systems integration, and customer relationship management. For private equity firms, Tom also designs technology solutions to streamline the front and back-office operations, which include deal management, fundraising activity, and investor relations.

Tom moved from Chicago to the Seattle Office in 2007 with responsibility for expanding West Monroe Partners’ Mergers & Acquisitions practice to the West Coast. Since then, his practice leadership as a client relationship and engagement lead has involved oversight and delivery for the Seattle office’s private equity and respective portfolio company clients.

Tom began his career in Chicago with Arthur Andersen, where he worked as a senior consultant in the firm’s Business Consulting, Advanced Technology Group.  Tom worked on several engagements for one of the largest clients in the Central Region – including working as a senior developer on a large scale, multi-year, custom application development initiative for a global organization.  In addition, he co-managed a strategic IT reorganization that centralized a distributed IT workforce to achieve better IT operational efficiency and effectiveness.  Tom later worked for BearingPoint before becoming an early member of West Monroe Partners in 2002.

Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Management Information Systems from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Tom is actively involved in ACG Seattle and he lives an active lifestyle in the Seattle area where he’s involved in organized hockey, and enjoys hiking and skiing with his wife and two children throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Doug Fighter is a senior manager in West Monroe Partners’ Labor Management practice. Doug has more than 10 years of experience providing labor management and supply chain solutions to clients across several industries.

Highlights

Doug Fighter joined West Monroe Partners in 2006 and has played a key role in the growth of the firm’s Labor Management practice.   He has served as the program manager for multiple clients, coordinating multi-site engineered labor standards and scheduling implementations that have helped his clients improve operations while at the same time lowering labor costs. 

Doug’s clients span a variety of industries, including food service, retail and consumer products, automotive, and healthcare.  Throughout all of his projects, Doug has helped clients successfully integrate technology solutions to enhance their business operations. He has experience with a wide range of warehouse management and labor management systems.

In addition to his client delivery responsibilities, Doug is the engineering lead supporting FLEXdlsTM, West Monroe Partners’ labor management system. In this role, Doug works with both internal and external clients, continually evaluating and ultimately enhancing FLEXdlsTM to support both the engineering and labor operations experience.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Doug was a program manager for Cardinal Health, where he supported retail pharmacy operations. In this role, Doug worked closely with business unit leaders to understand their operational and strategic initiatives in order and to define technology solutions that supported their defined goals. 

Doug holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Highlights

Dean Fischer has overseen the growth of West Monroe Partners from a start-up consultancy with a handful of employees in 2002 to a full-service business and technology firm with seven offices across North America and a complement of nearly 250 consultants. More importantly, he is known as a recruiter, leader, teacher and motivator of people—playing a central role in defining and maintaining a unique, people-oriented culture that has earned numerous accolades, along with a strong client and employee base. In 2010, Consulting Magazine named Dean one of the nation’s Top 25 Consultants.

Dean spent the majority of his career with Arthur Andersen, serving clients on matters of business strategy, technology architectures and designs, business process change and improvement, technology implementation, and business operations. Over the course of 23 years at Andersen, he gained the reputation as an entrepreneur with a legacy of rapid service and business development, culminating in large, profitable service offerings. He started new practices, launched successful new service offerings, and held various local, national, and global leadership positions, including:

• Global managing partner of the Advanced Technology and Internet Consulting practice, a part of the Business Consulting business unit
• Member of the executive council and board of directors of the US Central Region Business Consulting practice
• Managing partner responsible for 11 Advanced Technology practices in the US central region
• Managing partner of the Chicago office Advanced Technology practice—a team that he started and grew from eight employees to more than 200
• Chairman and member of the Andersen Worldwide Managing Partner Advisory Council
• Group head of the Chicago office Litigation Consulting practice areas, covering services related to construction, environment, securities and commodities, government contracts, white collar crime and general litigation
• Partner in charge of the Chicago and Central Region Government Contracts Audit and Consulting practices

Prior to founding West Monroe Partners, Dean was the chief operating officer and vice president of sales for EC Outlook, an industry-leading provider of B2B Integration Services and Software and a portfolio company of Venrock, a leading venture capital firm. He was responsible for the company's Dublin, Ohio operation, which housed virtually all core operations—from software development to client services to operations to sales to development of strategic partnerships.

Dean also is active in the business, civic and church communities. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Student Conservation Association (www.thesca.org) and as a volunteer to DuPage Walk In Ministry and DuPage Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS).

Casey Foss is director of marketing for West Monroe Partners. She works with office, solution, and industry practice leads to establish effective marketing strategies; plan integrated, multi-channel marketing programs; and execute programs that generate new business leads.

Highlights

As director of marketing, Casey Foss oversees all external-facing marketing programs, including programs to build brand awareness, drive new business, and strengthen existing client relationships. She is responsible for harmonizing West Monroe Partners’ brand across the company’s six United States and Canadian offices, and she works with practice leaders to build brand recognition among their target audiences while establishing consistent, integrated messages across national practice areas.

Casey leads the Marketing team’s efforts to innovate and leverage new channels to strengthen brand presence and increase recruiting and business leads. This includes pairing online channels such as the company’s Internet site, Twitter accounts, and facebook and Linkedin presences with more traditional and proven channels for the professional services sector, such as trade shows, hosted events, webinars, and business development campaigns.

Casey’s career spans all of the facets of marketing, a mix that is required to effectively build a brand and drive business in the professional services sector.  She joined West Monroe Partners from Discover Card, where she was a member of the Customer Contact Strategy team and responsible for determining the appropriate messages for card members by channel and redesigning the company’s home-grown customer relationship management system to focus on business functionality—allowing Discover Card to influence card member experience from the beginning of the relationship.

Previously, Casey worked for the Chicago Tribune, helping the organization evaluate and optimize its “New Mover” acquisition programs. She also worked for Publicis Dialog, a Chicago-based public relations firm, where she created new product launch campaigns that increased brand awareness and product trial among target audiences, as well as planned New York media events for more than 75 magazine editors and developed comprehensive press materials.

Casey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication from Boston University and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She is a member of the Chicago chapter of the American Marketing Association and Young Professionals Association and an active supporter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Scott Fuzer is a results-driven IT professional, accomplished in developing solutions, delivering complex programs, and managing both teams and executive-level relationships. He has extensive experience in IT operations, IT asset and service management, program management, systems analysis, systems design and implementation, process design, and organizational and cultural change. He is applying this experience to develop and lead West Monroe Partners’ IT asset management practice.

Scott joined West Monroe Partners in 2009 from IT management consulting firm Five9 Technologies, where he was a vice president and leader of the IT asset management practice, as well as a member of the executive leadership team. With Five9 Technologies, he led and participated in global projects to implement IT strategic services and IT service management initiatives, conducted IT assessments, and was responsible for implementing infrastructure technologies. His clients covered a range of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and financial services organizations.

Prior to joining Five9, Scott was the enterprise operations manager for VW Credit, Inc. He designed, implemented, and was accountable for the organization’s service desk, network operations center, desktop support, Windows server support, and infrastructure support, as well as for implementation strategy and deployment of ITIL service support processes. He also designed the organization’s IT asset lifecycle management program for all IT hardware and software assets. He also was a system administrator and IT asset manager for SPS Payment Systems.

Scott earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He is a member of Helpdesk Institute (HDI), IT Service Management Forum (ITSMF), International Association of IT Asset Managers (IAITAM), and International Business Software Managers Association (IBSMA). He also is a Certified ITIL Manager.

Mazen has worked with clients across a range of industries, including healthcare, not-for-profit, travel and hospitality, retail, telecommunications, and professional services organizations. He applies deep technical competencies in large-scale program management, business process re-engineering, organizational change management, custom application development, package software implementation, data conversion, and systems integration.  Mazen is a creative and collaborative leader who excels at empowering teams to exceed their performance goals. He has led the program management office (PMO) for a multi-year, $30M business transformation program for one of the nation’s largest dental insurance providers that involved a combined team of 150+ consultants, client resources and off-shore developers. In this capacity, he directed teams charged with developing standardized business processes across the enterprise, implementing a new claims processing system, customizing the claims system to meet the business needs, interfacing the new claims system with dozens of other internal systems, converting claims data from two legacy systems, and managing the impact of internal and external organizational change.

He also has led complex organizational transformation, customer relationship management, custom application development, application integration, system testing, sales force effectiveness, software selection, and change management programs.

Before joining West Monroe Partners, Mazen worked with AT&T Business as a client business manager, where he was responsible for managing senior client relationships, as well as supporting teams across functional areas of the organization.

Mazen received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Daniel Hartnett is a director with West Monroe Partners, where he specializes in finance transformation. He has more than 15 years of consulting and industry experience, with a strong track record for client service and project delivery.

Highlights

Daniel Hartnett is an experienced management consultant with expertise in strategic management, practice leadership, business development, service development, and project execution and delivery. He combines deep business understanding with strong technology experience to enable results and transform both operations and organizational culture to support strategic imperatives.

Daniel’s finance competencies include process re-engineering, strategic planning, financial management, enterprise resource planning, and business analytics. He has worked with clients across a range of industries, including high technology, manufacturing, consumer goods, utilities, and government.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Daniel was a managing director with Jefferson Wells, a management consulting firm that serves mid-sized and large companies for finance, audit, and tax solutions. In this capacity, he directed strong growth in non-S-OX (Sarbanes-Oxley) revenues, led the largest project in the firm’s history, and received several internal awards for client service and delivery excellence. Previously, he held executive roles with Computer Sciences Corporation and Kraft Foods. He began his career as an accountant with KPMG Peat Marwick.

Daniel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Illinois State University and participated in the Leadership Development Program of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Will Hinde is a Director in the firm’s Healthcare practice and primarily focuses on Managed Care & Health Insurance organizations.  Will has more than 13 years of experience in management and technology consulting and is currently responsible for strategy and delivery for our healthcare insurance clients. 

Highlights

Will is an accomplished healthcare consultant and industry expert with extensive experience across multiple IT disciplines including business and IT strategy formation, systems integration and consolidation, and enterprise architecture.   In addition, Will is a seasoned veteran in the stewardship of large scale business transformations that accompany significant shifts in technology utilization or deployment.  He has worked with his clients in the areas of process re-engineering and optimization, knowledge management, organizational change, application consolidation, health plan and benefit strategy, and administrative simplification.  Will is currently responsible for healthcare insurance practice strategy and management, solution development, client service, and business development.

Throughout his career Will has worked with healthcare and life science organizations seeking to develop, maintain, and enable their business goals via technology solutions.  Will has applied his knowledge and experience to the development of industry-focused solutions that use informatics, application enhancement, business and solution architecture, and process modeling to drive organizational profitability and growth.  From leading large teams (200+) to crafting innovative approaches and solutions, Will’s experience has enabled him to make a quick and significant impact with his clients.

Will joined West Monroe Partners from Diamond Management and Technology Consultants (purchase by PwC in 2010).  As a Manager in Diamond’s Healthcare and Life Science vertical he led cross-functional teams to deliver business and technical strategies on topics such as benefits, claims, architecture, mergers/acquisitions, and portfolio management.

Will earned a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medicine/Biology from Baylor University and is an active member in AHIP and HiMSS.

Sean Hunt is a director in West Monroe Partners’ Chicago office, where he is responsible for expanding the firm’s mergers and acquisitions services to corporate (strategic) buyers. He has more than 15 years of financial advisory, transaction advisory and principal investing experience.

Highlights

Sean Hunt applies deep financial and transaction experience to help corporate clients develop and execute merger and acquisition strategies; including assessing strategic alternatives, identifying, screening, engaging and valuing target companies; leading the due diligence process; negotiating terms; and successfully closing transactions. His transaction experience spans debt and equity capital raising, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity investing and corporate restructurings. Sean’s background includes projects in the industrial manufacturing, business services, healthcare, leisure, logistics, financial services and aerospace and defense sectors.

Sean joined West Monroe Partners from Seneca Partners, Inc., a private equity and investment banking firm that invests in middle market businesses and advises corporate clients on completing mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. As a vice president, he led corporate development projects for a diverse client base including privately held and publicly traded companies. He also participated on the Seneca Partners and Seneca Health Partners LP investment committees and assisted with investment and portfolio management activities for Seneca Health Partners LP investment.

Previously, Sean was a vice president for Macquarie Capital Advisors in Chicago and London, where he originated and executed acquisitions for the firm’s private equity funds. He also advised corporate clients on raising capital and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Sean began his career with Bank of America, where he served as a credit analyst first covering the bank’s middle market commercial clients and then large corporate clients in the Consumer Products industry.  He was promoted to associate and joined the Global Investment Banking group, where he focused on originating and executing middle market investment banking transactions for the bank’s commercial clients.

Sean earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics and Public Policy from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Kyle Hutchins is the Director of Customer Experience at West Monroe Partners’ Seattle office. He believes a well-executed customer experience strategy is paramount to market differentiation – ultimately leading to higher customer loyalty and profitability. He has 12 years of experience in the consulting, advising in agency, strategy and IT capacities across diverse industries.

Highlights

Partnering with senior executives, Kyle has a track record of “in-market” results for world class brands that reshaped their business. Kyle knows that only through the managed confluence of committed leadership, customer insight, compelling brand values and employee engagement can great customer experience be achieved. He has researched, designed and implemented transformative studies for market leading companies on pricing strategy, product placement and customer service.

A fluent mediator, Kyle is able to balance and rationalize the often conflicting priorities amongst sales, marketing, IT, service and product development. He has proven expertise in consumer oriented businesses – banking, telecommunications, insurance, retail, consumer packaged goods, and has built sustainable customer experience committees and governance programs within Fortune 500 organizations.

Before joining West Monroe Partners in 2010, Kyle held the title of Partner, Director of Strategy at Ascentium. During his time at Ascentium, he crafted and implemented comprehensive customer experience plans that integrate brand, user experience and technology to achieve consistent customer interaction across channels (web, mobile, retail, call center, kiosk); architected paid search, viral campaigns and social applications for clients to burgeon brand awareness and conversions; managed commerce solutions; and led strategic acquisition planning efforts.

Kyle earned a degree in Business Administration at the University of Washington in Seattle, received post graduate accreditation in Strategic Marketing from the University of Chicago and studied internationally at Université Paris Sorbonne.  In his spare time, Kyle performs volunteer work at NPower, a nonprofit consulting agency.

Tom Hulsebosch is responsible for developing and leading the firm’s Energy & Utilities practice. He is a 20-year veteran of the wireless telecommunication industry with extensive experience creating and delivering solutions for enterprises, public safety agencies, and service providers.

Highlights
Tom’s unique blend of experience includes solution engineering, product definition and development, business development, product distribution, marketing, and sales. He is responsible for developing West Monroe Partners’ energy & utility industry strategy and Smart Grid Consulting offerings. These include Smart Grid solutions such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure, Smart Meters, utility grade IP backhaul solutions, and the IT systems tying together the Smart Grid Technologies and the utilities business processes.

Tom joined West Monroe Partners in 2008 from Strategy 2 Solution, LLC, a wireless solutions consulting firm of which he was president and founder. He led Strategy 2 Solution’s consulting practice, which focused on developing executable and sustainable wireless network solutions for municipalities, utilities, corporations, and service providers, as well as creating product strategies and sales distribution solutions for equipment vendors.

Prior to starting Strategy 2 Solution, Tom was the vice president of municipal network sales for EarthLink Municipal Networks, a division of EarthLink focused on private-public use of broadband networks. His responsibilities included developing relationships and sales agreements with municipalities, enterprises, and universities for using a common wireless infrastructure to deliver their diverse applications.

He also spent 19 years with Motorola, with responsibilities that ranged from development engineering and product management in the cellular infrastructure division to business development in the Internet Software and Content Group to leading Motorola’s sales, marketing, and strategy efforts for their Canopy Broadband Portfolio of Products. The wireless broadband portfolio, for which he was senior director of Canopy sales and marketing, served the fixed and mobile broadband needs of public safety, utility, enterprise, education, and service provider customers.

Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has been granted four patents.

Kristin Irving is a senior manager for West Monroe Partners in Chicago. She has more than seven years of experience in consulting and solution development, focused primarily in the healthcare industry.  

Highlights

Kristin Irving has developed highly valued skills for identifying and resolving business process and system issues. Applying her experience in managing large complex projects on time and within budget, she has helped clients control costs, maximize productivity, minimize risk, and deliver quality solutions.

A results-focused project leader and skilled problem solver, Kristin brings a unique balance of business and technology experience that enables her to address issues and opportunities from a holistic perspective – one that considers and incorporates people, process, strategy, and technology implications when defining a solution.

Kristin has led many successful client projects in the areas of IT strategy and planning, software selections and implementations, knowledge management, application development and other disciplines, including change management. In addition to specializing in healthcare solutions, Kristin has worked with clients in a variety of other industries, including claims processing, professional services, private equity, and hospitality.

Kristin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois.

Holly Kay serves as the company’s chief financial officer and also works with offices and solution-line leaders to drive future growth.

Highlights
As chief financial officer, Holly oversees West Monroe Partners’ consolidated financial reporting. In addition, she is responsible for integrating and supporting the company’s seven offices across the United States and Canada, and she assists solution line leaders in driving the company’s future growth.

Holly joined West Monroe Partners from American Capital Strategies, where she led the financial due diligence for potential acquisitions. She also facilitated the ongoing monitoring and valuation of the portfolio of companies owned by the firm.

Prior to working with American Capital Strategies, Holly served as a director in Transaction Services at KPMG, where she was a financial consultant to financial investors who are focused on mid-size manufacturing and professional services. Her focus was primarily in performing detailed financial and operational due diligence to identify key value drivers, transaction issues and post-acquisition opportunities, as well as assessing the sustainability of earnings. Holly started her career at Arthur Andersen in Milwaukee where she performed historical financial statement audits for public and privately held companies.

Some of Holly’s past clients include First Reserve Corporation, Falconhead Capital, Graham Partners, and Hilco Capital. Additionally, while at Arthur Andersen she performed audit services and was responsible for the independent performance of audit fieldwork for companies including SC Johnson Wax; Kohler, Inc.; Manpower, Inc.; Milwaukee Bucks, Inc.; and Zilber Ltd.

Holly is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she received a Bachelors of BA-Accounting degree.

Tom Kerestes is a member of the Energy & Utilities practice of West Monroe Partners. He has more than 33 years of experience, including 25 years in a variety of technical and managerial positions for Xcel Energy (formerly Northern States Power).

Highlights

Tom Kerestes applies significant experience IT strategy and planning, transmission and distribution best practices, NERC compliance, large-scale program management, business process optimization, and enterprise resource planning to help West Monroe Partners’ Energy & Utilities clients address key operational goals—particularly in the area of Smart Grid Consulting, design and planning.

Most recently, Tom has worked with a number of utilities to develop winning Department of Energy Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) proposals—attracting funding that will provide 50-percent matching for investments in programs that allow two-way communication between utilities and their customers and automate the electric distribution system.

Through the development of sound business cases and use of proven project management approaches, he led a variety of electric and gas utility projects that delivered significant cost reductions and returns on investment. He also has significant experience in implementation of balanced scorecards, ISO 9000:2001 certification, distribution planning, and international consulting.

With Xcel Energy, Tom developed significant hands-on transmission and distribution experience by managing crews, directing systems operations/dispatch, and managing distribution engineering. He later served as chief information officer for the company’s Wisconsin/Michigan service territory. After leaving Xcel Energy, Tom became a principal consultant in a private consulting firm for seven years, eventually directing the Electric & Gas Energy Practice before joining West Monroe Partners as a senior consulting partner. 

Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering power systems from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration Management degree from the University of Wisconsin. He received certification in risk assessment methodology for transmission and dams from Sandia National Laboratory. In addition, he is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and a Registered Professional Engineer.

Tony Kong is a strategic leader with substantial hands-on experience in industry as a technology leader and in consulting as a client executive leading projects for Fortune 1000 companies. He has deep experience with enterprise systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP)/ financial systems, claims processing systems, call center applications, EDI/transaction management systems, supply chain systems, enterprise portals and collaboration applications, healthcare and pharmacy systems, and reporting/analytics systems.

Tony has collaborated with clients and internal teams to derive business benefits from IT strategic planning, IT organization transformation, governance strategy, new technology architecture, and security audits and improvements. In addition to having deep experience in the healthcare industry, he has worked with a variety of consumer products, retail, construction, and high-tech enterprises to address complex business issues.

Tony joined West Monroe Partners from Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, a $9 billion company licensed by Blue Cross Blue Shield in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah, where he was director of application development for core enterprise applications. He managed teams responsible for supporting enterprise package applications and building custom applications on .NET, Java, and Web Services, as well as for developing custom systems integrations.  He was also the delivery sponsor for a number of enterprise wide transformation projects including legacy systems migration and consolidation.

Previously, Tony was an associate partner with Ascentium, a global technology and interactive consulting firm that implements solutions based on the Microsoft platform. Other past roles have included chief information officer for Captura, Inc., a global internet business service provider of travel and expense management solutions; director of information technology for Edmark Corporation in Redmond, Washington; MIS manager for Starwave Corporation in Bellevue, Washington; and systems project manager for Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.

Tony earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with an emphasis in Organizational Management from the University of Washington. He is currently a degree candidate in the University of Notre Dame Executive MBA program.

Bob Landgren is a director in West Monroe Partners’ Enterprise Solutions practice in Chicago. He is a multi-dimensional business leader with more than 20 years of proven strategic and tactical versatility in technology-related consulting, consulting management, and business operations.

Highlights

Bob Landgren is a skilled leader and manager with demonstrated performance and results in program management, enterprise architecture, organizational planning, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and development, business and budget planning, and change management. Over the course of his career, he has worked with organizations in an array of industries, including healthcare, discrete and process manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, home building, and airlines and aerospace.

Bob joined West Monroe Partners from Rolta/TUSC—Whittmanhart Consulting in Chicago, where he was a vice president and engagement partner responsible for sales and delivery of large-scale technology and strategy solutions, such as a data management/consolidation initiative, turnaround of a distressed enterprise resource planning (ERP) program, and development and implementation of a corporate-wide planning and forecasting application.

Previously, he was managing director of the Chicago office of Jefferson Wells, Inc. He also has held executive roles with other consulting organizations, including Strategem, Inc., in Milwaukee; Axel-Lloyd & Associates, Inc., of which he was president and founding partner; divine Incorporated; and Whittman-Hart/marchFIRST. He began his career in roles with Packaging Corporation of America (a Tenneco company) and the Entrepreneurial Services Group of Arthur Young.

Bob earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has participated in Executive Programs through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Greg Layok is a director with West Monroe Partners and a leader in the company’s Technology Integration practice. He has more than 15 years of consulting experience focused on technology strategy, operational improvement and system development.
 
Highlights

An experienced advisor to senior executives, Greg Layok has a well-established track record as a strategic thinker and decision maker able to assess business opportunity and align organizations in order to maximize results. He has delivered successful technology solutions across a broad range of platforms and architectures for a variety of clients, including FORTUNE ® 1000 companies in the financial services, retail, high tech, healthcare, and manufacturing industries.

Greg is a respected business leader and team builder, with experience in recruiting, retaining, managing, and mentoring exceptional performers. He has held leadership positions responsible for hundreds of employees, and he has played a key role in defining and implementing organizational strategy throughout his career. As a leader in West Monroe Partners’ Technology Integration practice, Greg works with clients to align their technology and business strategies, improve their IT operations, and adopt innovative technologies and processes to improve business results.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners in 2009, Greg was a senior director with UST Global, an IT services and solutions provider specializing in end-to-end IT solutions leveraging offshore capabilities. He also spent six years with ThoughtWorks, a global IT consultancy that specializes in delivering custom applications and helping organizations drive agility. There, he was the managing director for North America and a member of the firm’s global management team.   

Previously, Greg was a client partner and technical architect for Viant, where he worked with start-up enterprises and focused on implementing customer acquisition and retention strategies and e-business operating models for clients in the retail and financial services industries. Greg also worked as an independent consultant to a Fortune 1000 chief financial officer in Southeast Asia, advising on technology strategy and planning and developing business intelligence strategies. Greg began his career as a consultant for Andersen Consulting.

Greg is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

John Leatherwood is a senior principal in West Monroe Partners’ Energy & Utilities practice, based in Seattle. He is a seasoned utility industry executive and consultant with more than 20 years of experience.

Highlights

John Leatherwood has extensive experience in consulting, project management, requirements analysis, and solution architecting for public and private sector utilities in the United States and globally. He is a strong leader and accomplished problem solver with demonstrated capabilities for developing solutions that achieve project objectives/goals.

John joined West Monroe Partners from Accent Business Services, Inc., in Vancouver, Washington, where he was a senior consultant and manager responsible for leading development of strategic planning, business process analysis/mapping, business case justification, and facilitation of software, hardware, and services procurement for various public and private utilities. Solutions experience spans customer care, operations, materials/asset management, finance, human resources, smart metering/grid, meter data management, and other support functions. Previously, he was a project manager for the City of Vancouver (Washington), where he led two parallel/phased projects to complete implementation of utility customer information and asset management systems.

In addition, John has held other executive and consultant roles, including project director for Peace Software (Honolulu, Hawaii), technology project manager for a PeopleSoft/CIS implementation for the City of Sacramento, CRM solution architect for IBM Global Services (Beaverton, Oregon), project director for SPL WorldGroup (San Francisco), and project manager and application architect for Severn Trent Systems (Houston). He began his career as a product development manager/systems analyst for National FSI and then a project manager and applications architect for Price Waterhouse, both in Dallas.

John earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas. He also has participated in various methodology and quality management professional development courses and project management certification training.

Highlights

Chris Lemme has extensive experience helping firms develop business opportunities through the efficient and innovative application of custom software solutions. Chris has delivered effective solutions for companies in the financial services, trading, and software services industries.

As a senior architect with West Monroe Partners, Chris is responsible for developing integration strategies for clients such as municipalities that are employing smart grid technologies and strategies. Working with the firm’s Energy & Utilities practice, Chris has designed an Enterprise Service Bus to integrate the 10-12 sub-systems that comprise a smart grid implementation.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Chris led several mid-sized development teams in the design and building of complex distributed systems in the trading industry. In addition, Chris advocates Agile software development strategies and is experienced with improving all aspects software development.

Chris has experience in many development languages, platforms, and databases, particularly the .NET technologies. He is well versed in data concepts, business process analysis, and emerging technologies such as cloud computing.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona.

Don Long is a senior principal in West Monroe Partners’ Seattle office, where he specializes in IT service management. He is a highly experienced IT professional with consulting and corporate experience across a range of industries, technologies, and business processes.

Highlights

Don Long has a well-established track record of success in leading business-focused technology management and consulting programs focused on reducing costs and improving service quality. An expert in infrastructure and IT service management best practices, he is highly regarded for his ability to work effectively with individuals at all levels, from technical staff through C-level executives. Don has worked with enterprises in the financial services, high-tech, transportation, and telecommunications industries, as well as with an array of state, local, and federal government agencies.

Don joined West Monroe Partners from CGI, where he was an executive consultant serving as national operations management expert and providing support for clients across the United States in engagements focusing on IT operations, best-in-class management practices, sourcing strategies, IT service management, and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) global practices.

Previously, he held other executive roles in consulting and industry, including operations management practice director for Codesic Consulting; senior director of global service management for DHL; director of technology, planning, and operations for Airborne Express; and executive consultant in  the Technology Management group.

Don began his career and ultimately spent 17 years with US WEST/Qwest Communications, where he assumed multiple IT roles, including director of new technologies; senior manager, supplier management; staff support manager to the CIO; technology and capacity planning manager for six US WEST data centers, and others.

Don earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Wayne State University. He also has earned numerous certifications in disciplines including quality management and improvement, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), and Capability Maturity Model (CMMI).

Michael Manske is a senior architect in West Monroe Partners’ Infrastructure Solutions practice. He has more than 10 years of consulting and corporate experience delivering an array of technology solutions to address transform operations and enhance performance.

Highlights

With a focus on network design and security, Michael Manske plays a critical role in West Monroe Partners’ networking projects, ensuring successful solution implementation. He works with a wide array of clients to design and implement networking hardware and software, security, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), and client/server software solutions. He has led, configured, and implemented several large network upgrade projects, applying deep expertise and skills in network assessments, architecture, security, implementation, and troubleshooting.

Michael’s clients include companies in the manufacturing, capital markets and trading, banking, and electric utility industries, including extensive experience with smart grid programs. He completed cyber security plans, as required by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for more than 10 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grantees. He also has well-honed skills in project and program management; data center design, development, migration, and relocation; disaster recovery; wireless design; and infrastructure transition during mergers, acquisitions, and divestures.

Prior to joining West Monroe, Michael was responsible for supporting a global data telecommunication network for a Fortune 100 company.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Systems Technology with a concentration in Telecommunications and Networking from Purdue University. He also has earned several certifications, including Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). He has authored several papers and presentations on NERC/CIP-compliant smart grid IP communications.

Jim May is a senior executive in West Monroe Partners’ national Supply Chain practice. He has more than 25 years of consulting and industry experience, particularly in the areas of supply chain and lean manufacturing.

Highlights

Jim May is a successful supply chain and lean manufacturing leader with deep experience at all levels of the organization –from the board room to the shop floor. Applying strong business acumen with the ability to integrate technology and business needs, he has worked with enterprises across the globe and across sectors to improve operations and efficiency, optimize inventory, reduce costs, address compliance requirements, and implement transformational technology solutions. A proven consulting and professional services executive leader, Jim has built and led teams ranging from 35 professionally certified technology engineers to more than 250 field service technicians.

Jim joined West Monroe Partners from Resources Global Professionals, a supply chain management consultancy, where he worked with Fortune 100 enterprises on lean, strategic sourcing, 3PL, sales and operations planning, inventory optimization, and other programs. Prior to that, he was vice president of Service Delivery for Pomeroy IT Solutions, responsible for consulting services and field service delivery, as well as national “Advanced Technology” partnerships and major outsourcing programs.

Earlier in his career, Jim was a managing director in the Transportation practice for BearingPoint, Inc.; a partner in Arthur Andersen’s Southeast Region Supply Chain practice; a pre-sales consultant for i2 Technologies; and a senior consultant with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). In addition, he has held industry management positions with The Coca-Cola Company, Lever Brothers, and Quaker Oats.

Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors from The Pennsylvania State University.

Kevin McCarty is Executive Vice President and leader of West Monroe Partners’ Chicago office.  In early 2002, after eight years at Andersen Business Consulting, Kevin co-founded West Monroe Partners and has been instrumental in driving the rapid growth of the firm and its consulting practices, focusing on Technology Solutions & Enablement, Business Performance & Transformation, and Industry & Marketplace Strategies.  Kevin most recently grew the firm’s Private Equity Mergers & Acquisitions practice to more than 100 Private Equity clients executing more than 300 M&A transactions.  Kevin brings more than 20 years of global business & technology consulting experience to guide key clients on their most ambitious Business Transformation programs in addition to operating West Monroe’s Chicago office and its industry vertical practices.

Highlights
Kevin McCarty is a solution-oriented executive who combines business acumen and technology expertise to strategize, design, develop, and deliver high-impact results for clients. Together with his teams, Kevin has worked with more than 250 clients—from global multinational enterprises to high-potential start-ups, spin-offs, and incubators—over the course of his consulting career.

Kevin’s business strategy, process, and systems depth is best exhibited by his extensive work with information- and data-rich enterprises, as well as businesses with transaction-intensive operations, such as those in the health insurance and financial services industries. From a technology perspective, he provides expertise in enterprise architecture, software engineering, data management, connectivity and infrastructure, usability, and IT operations effectiveness.

In addition to leading the firm’s Chicago office of more than 250 people, Kevin continues to work with clients within Healthcare and Merger & Acquisitions domains. Strategic and financial buyers across North America, including more than 100 leading private equity groups, seek his expertise with respect to the IT and business process implications of potential investments. He also leads the execution of high profile mergers and acquisitions, carve outs, divestitures, and integrations of business & technology into a platform or under a holding company. Under Kevin’s leadership, West Monroe Partners has provided IT and operational due diligence and post-close transition services for more than 300 deals over the past ten years.

Kevin co-founded West Monroe Partners in 2002 to deliver business strategy, process, people, and technology solutions in an integrated method that is uniquely suited to the needs of growing middle-market organizations. Previously, Kevin was a senior manager with Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting practice in Chicago. Prior to joining Arthur Andersen, Kevin developed technical depth in infrastructure and software development through various other technology product and IT services organizations.

Kevin is a board member of HFS Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit organization helping economically disadvantaged Chicago high school students who show academic and leadership promise achieve their educational goals by providing financial support and mentoring.  In addition, Kevin is a touched supporter of The Hope Institute for Children and Families, a unique nonprofit center providing educational, residential and health services to children ages 5-21 with multiple developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Kevin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management of Information Systems from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

As the Director of Human Resources and Operations, Paulette is integrally involved in developing and maintaining West Monroe Partners'unique, participatory culture.  Paulette is responsible for designing and implementing human resources programs across our US and international offices, including recruiting, orientation and professional development, employee relations, payroll and benefits administration, and health and safety programs.

Highlights
Since joining West Monroe Partners in September 2002, Paulette has led many efforts to build internal processes and support structures. Key initiatives include developing our career model, performance appraisal, and upward feedback processes. Paulette also serves as chairperson of the company's compensation committee.

Paulette has more than 18 years of experience in the professional services industry. Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Paulette held leadership positions within Practice Management of Andersen's Business Consulting practice. Paulette worked with and supported several key executives with Midwest Regional responsibilities and was an integral part of the Business Consulting Operations team. She interacted daily with key clients and management at Andersen. Paulette was involved in many Chicago office and Midwest Region initiatives, including the task forces for Diversity and Growth and Retention of Women. She received several awards for her involvement at Andersen, as well as the Sequoia award for mentoring.

Gil Mermelstein, a managing director of West Monroe Partners and a member of the Executive Committee, is responsible for developing and expanding the firm’s presence in New York City and the US East Coast and for advancing its alliance with BearingPoint Europe. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the consulting and financial services industries.

Highlights

Gil Mermelstein is an accomplished professional services and financial services leader with a strong track record for growth and successful transformation. As the leader of West Monroe Partners’ New York City, he directs strategy, practice development, and client service delivery, and he works closely with the firm’s Banking & Insurance practice. A former senior partner with BearingPoint Europe, he was instrumental in formalizing the alliance between that firm and West Monroe Partners, announced in March 2010, and he will continue to play a key role in leveraging this relationship to expand the two firms’ global market coverage and to enhance services to their international clients.

Gil joined West Monroe Partners from BearingPoint Europe, where he was head of Management Consulting in the United Kingdom and Ireland. After assuming practice leadership, he worked closely with industry leaders to restructure the business and return it to growth in 2009. Previously, he was a partner in the firm’s Financial Services Strategy and Transformation practice, responsible for leading strategic and transformational initiatives across all financial services segments, including retail and commercial banking, lending, payments, capital markets, wealth and asset management, and insurance. His transformation experience includes linking corporate and business unit strategy with large-scale transformation including business process outsourcing and offshoring, process re-engineering, business model design, strategic cost reduction, and development of performance management.

Prior to joining BearingPoint, Gil served as senior vice president of corporate strategic initiatives for MBNA Bank/Bank of America, in Wilmington, Delaware. As a member of the core merger integration executive team, he developed strategy and a future operating model for the combined organization to capture merger revenue and expense synergies. He also led a three-year, $1 billion enterprise transformation effort, and he co-led an internal consulting group that worked with various business executives to develop and execute strategies for new revenue streams and expense reductions.

Earlier in his career, Gil served in management roles for A.T. Kearney and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Tel Aviv, Paris, London, and New York.

Gil earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration degree with concentration in strategy and corporate finance from INSEAD in Fountainebleau, France.

Mark Nelson leads the Managed Services practice, which provides help desk, break-fix, and proactive maintenance and monitoring solutions to mid-market firms. Mark has more than 13 years of managed services and consulting experience across multiple industries and technical competencies.

Highlights

Mark is responsible for a wide range of managed services arrangements across mid-market firms in a variety of industries, with a focus on help desk, infrastructure outsourcing, line of business applications, and business process outsourcing.  He has proven capabilities to provide his clients with IT strategy, align IT with business goals and objectives, transform IT environments and organizations into efficiently run organizations while reducing costs, and provide client service that is continually rated with high client satisfaction.  Mark also performs technical quality assurance on all managed services strategies, roadmaps, designs, and implementation plans.

Mark’s key skills include managing IT operations, implementing IT process that drives value to an organization, developing and maintain proactive IT support, project management, turning business needs and requirements into a technology solution, infrastructure design, and project quality assurance. Through his experience implementing complex infrastructure technology solutions, Mark brings a unique blend of technical, process, and project management skills to develop technology solutions that meet business needs and ensure IT operations are maintained to exceed client expectations.

As the leader in launching West Monroe Partners Managed Services practice, Mark is involved in sales, onboarding, assessments, and ongoing oversight for all managed services clients. Mark and his team focus on proactive maintenance to minimize downtime and major outages and provide clients with a roadmap that can improve their technology to meet business needs while reducing costs.  Mark leads a highly skilled team of help desk and infrastructure engineers that supports approximately 50+ clients in various industries.

Previous to leading the Managed Services practice, Mark was a co-lead in launching West Monroe Partners Infrastructure Solutions practice, which has successfully completed numerous projects that focused on High Availability Networks, Microsoft infrastructure, Systems Management and Monitoring, Disaster Recovery, and Security

Over the course of his career, Mark has worked with clients of all sizes and in a wide range of industries, including trading, financial services, professional services, manufacturing, insurance, non-profit, high tech, real estate, and venture capital.  Some of Mark’s clients have included: R.J. O’Brien, ADM, Rosenthal Collins Group, Underwriters Laboratories, Equity Residential, Motorola, Reyes Holdings, and many other mid-market firms

Before joining West Monroe Partners, Mark worked at two global professional services firms as a senior consultant and manager. He spent six years with Arthur Andersen and two years with BearingPoint—in both cases as a manager within their infrastructure service lines—leading some of those organizations’ largest and most complex engagements.

Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Computer Information Systems from Indiana University, Bloomington. Mark has also earned industry certifications from Microsoft and IBM (Lotus).

Fred Pammer is a senior principal for West Monroe Partners, where he specializes in large scale program management, technology strategic development and cost reduction.  He is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 30 years of leadership and technical management experience in consulting, public and privately held companies.

Highlights
Fred is a highly experienced, broad-based leader responsible for heading strategic transformational initiatives, governance and implementation within our Enterprise and Energy & Utilities practices at West Monroe.  He specializes in smart grid consulting and program management, key cost reduction and operational reviews that target increased revenues, improved customer satisfaction, and decreased costs. Fred directs the design and implementation of mission critical business systems, delivering superior performance results while achieving significant cost savings. He proactively identifies and resolves problems, manages risk, controls costs, maximizes productivity and implements lasting change with a reputation for directing and motivating teams to exceed performance goals.

Over the course of his career, Fred has worked with clients across a variety of industries to address IT strategy and planning, business process optimization, cost reduction and operational reviews, project and portfolio management, merger and acquisition due diligence, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) evaluation and implementation. He has worked extensively with organizations in the energy & utilities, healthcare, professional services, insurance, financial services, government, retail, travel & leisure, and biotechnology industries.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners near its inception in 2002, Fred served as Director of Consulting Services for Daugherty Systems, project manager for Budget Rent-a-Car Inc. and a Manager in Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting Practice. He is an active mentor to West Monroe Partner’s Project Managers and is the architect of West Monroe’s PM and PMO Methodology.

Fred earned a Master of Business Administration degree with specialization in Management Information Systems from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Management Information Systems and Finance from Governors State University. He is affiliated with the Association for Information Technology Professionals and the Project Management Institute and is a Kellstadt Fellow for the DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Brett Paulson is a director with West Monroe Partners in Chicago and leader of the company’s Capital Markets & Trading industry practice. He is an innovative, award-winning senior executive with strategic leadership experience in technology and operations and deep expertise in financial services, exchange solutions, clearing solutions, banking, brokerage, trading, and risk management disciplines.

Highlights

Brett Paulson has a strong track record for promoting significant business and revenue growth within major international corporations. His experience spans corporate strategy and development, start-up organizations, turnaround situations, cost-cutting mandates, and growth-oriented endeavors.

With a strong orientation in operations and finance, Brett has substantial understanding of technology and IT environments, along with expertise in planning and service delivery. He has extensive experience with due diligence and deal structuring/negotiations; quality and continuous improvement; product development and rollout; mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; financial and legal transactions; and investor, analyst, and board relations. A respected leader, he also has a significant record of inspiring and motivating individuals and teams to achieve results consistently, fostering collaborative and high-performing work environments, driving change, improving productivity, and reducing costs.

Prior to joining West Monroe Partners, Brett ran ETM Global in Chicago, an organization he founded to provide management consulting, enterprise application development, and infrastructure management consulting services to a variety of firms that use technology excellence to differentiate their value propositions. Previously, he served in several senior executive roles, including president and chief operating officer for The Clearing Corporation (formerly Board of Trade Clearing Corporation). He also held executive roles with CS First Boston, Integrated Systems Solutions Corporation and Continental Bank, and Harris Trust and Saving Bank.

Brett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Lewis University and a Master of Business Administration degree with concentration in Finance from DePaul University. He is active in a variety of industry, civic, and charitable organizations, including the Executive’s Club of Chicago, the Economics Club, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Lumity, The Wellness House, The Community House and several youth sports organizations.

Chriss Poliquin is an architect in West Monroe Partners’ Supply Chain and Technology Integration practices. He applies deep experience in supply chain operations and enterprise information systems to design and implement value-added technical solutions.

Highlights

Chriss Poliquin has a unique combination of supply chain expertise and deep software engineering and data management skills that enables him to assess, design, and deploy complex, customized solutions. His experience spans inventory management, warehouse management systems, manufacturing execution systems, distribution networks, enterprise databases, process mapping, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions including JD Edwards and MS Dynamics AX. Chriss also has extensive industry experience in the distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sectors.

Throughout his career, Chriss has developed core competencies in software solutions architecture and design, complex data manipulation, and systems interfaces. In particular, his software engineering background has produced strong design capabilities that support a variety of supply chain business process and systems transformation projects. In more than five years with West Monroe Partners, he has designed multiple custom-developed applications, implemented more than 20 inventory management systems, played a major role on a multi-site Tier 1 ERP implementation, and participated in the development of strategic supply chain assessments and road maps. He also has led the West Monroe Partners’ warehouse control systems outsourcing support and implementation team, which provides services for a pool of 50 clients in the healthcare materials management, distribution, and manufacturing industries.

Early in his career, Chriss participated in the development of several supply chain simulators, multi-agent operations management systems, live reporting tools, and business intelligence platforms developed for C-level executives. Prior to joining West Monroe Partners in 2005, he was an architect, lead designer, team leader, and simulation lab supervisor for Laval University.

Chriss earned degrees in computer science and software engineering from Laval University in Quebec City and has studied operations management, system simulations and linear optimization at the graduate level. He holds a Microsoft .NET Application Development Foundation certification.

Cathy Pricco is a senior principal at West Monroe Partners’ Seattle office in the Banking & Insurance practice.  She helps clients increase profitability by developing a keen understanding of their customer base and the performance of their products and services.  She has over 25 years of experience in financial services, consulting, business strategy, and marketing.

Highlights

With West Monroe, Cathy has been involved in many high-profile client engagements leading the design and development of e-commerce strategies, pre and post acquisition product and customer mapping, customer and product analytics for executive management reporting, customer impact assessments and risk mitigation strategies, competitive analyses, identification of internal and external customer needs, and new product development. In addition to serving the needs of banks, insurance companies and credit unions, she has leveraged her expertise in executing market and product assessments in the private equity industry.  Cathy is frequently sought out for her unique experience and perspective in marketing and finance to help clients build a satisfied customer base while increasing profits.

Cathy is a frequent author and contributor to financial services publications and co-authored West Monroe Partners’ playbook of best practices for successful mergers and acquisitions for the financial services industry. 

Prior to joining West Monroe in 2007, Cathy held several key management positions with Washington Mutual, Bank of America and Security Pacific. Most recently while at Washington Mutual she was responsible for management of the $120B consumer deposit product portfolio, multi-million dollar fee income services and development of an enterprise-wide multicultural business strategy.
 
Previously, Cathy was the president of her own consulting company for seven years. She provided business and marketing consulting to sole proprietors, privately held businesses and global corporations with an emphasis on breakthrough pricing strategies, strategic alliances and competitive strategies. 

Cathy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing at Washington State University with postgraduate studies at Seattle University. In her spare time, she enjoys biking and hiking and volunteers for local non-profit organizations.

Jeff Primeau is a member of the management team of West Monroe Partners, where he works with diverse clients to improve their supply chain operations. He has more than 13 years of consulting experience.

Highlights

Jeff Primeau leads and drives projects that integrate planning, procurement, manufacturing and fulfillment functions within an organization—connecting suppliers and customers across the extended supply chain. Furthermore, he helps clients shape their future business architecture, providing guidance from strategic planning to execution.

Jeff is an accomplished supply chain and business process consultant who applies a well-structured and analytical approach for assessing operations and networks and formulating strategic recommendations. By implementing supply chain-optimization solutions, he helps his clients gain competitive advantage in the marketplace and increase shareholder value. He has served as a supply chain advisor for business process optimization projects, in addition to leading the implementation of various real-time supply chain technologies. He also has worked with clients to redesign and optimize fulfillment and distribution facilities.

Over the course of his career, Jeff has worked with companies across a range of industries, including bio-technology, food, government, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, retail and consumer products, and telecommunications.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal in Montréal, Canada.

Matt Rager has spent the past seven years implementing, architecting, and managing software engineering and data warehousing projects for West Monroe Partners and Andersen's Business Consulting practice. Matt is considered an expert in designing data models for dynamic, data-driven desktop and web applications and data warehouses. He has a reputation for delivering appropriate, high-quality solutions on time and under budget. Matt enjoys the challenge of applying technology to solve business problems and seeks to thoroughly understand the problem and the client's needs before proposing a solution.

Highlights
Matt has been involved with a wide range of solutions, including these:
He led design and implementation of an ASP .NET application that serves as a corporate portal for West Monroe Partners. The application provides tools for project management, time and expense reporting, project status reporting, automation and workflow for internal processes, and real time management of the firm's consulting business, including generated revenues, project inventory, invoicing, and receivables. The application uses web services to share information with and retrieve information from other internal systems. The application runs on a SQL Server 2000 database, and all data retrieval and manipulation is done through the use of stored procedures.

He designed and implemented several enhancements to a real estate sales management application. The application is an ASP .NET application written in C# with a SQL Server 2000 database. Sales people enter customer and contract information throughout the sales process. Self-service, real-time reports are delivered via the web to management and investors. The reports are generated in Crystal Reports, C#, and downloadable Microsoft Word and Excel files. Matt worked with the client to add new functionality and new reports as needs arose.

He participated in the design and implementation of a client/server application that allows a user to collect data in XML format while disconnected from the network and then connect to the Internet to exchange data with the server. The client communicates via HTTP with the server through a distributed architecture that uses IIS/Active Server Pages as an interface, COM for all business logic, and Oracle 8i for data storage. Tasks included design of overall architecture, proofing of included technologies, and design of several components including Oracle data model and file storage, general error handling, interface layout, and document generation.

He designed and led the implementation of a Web-based tool that allowed Arthur Andersen partners to update the attributes of their jobs. Tasks included design of the application's data model, interface, business rules, and daily data import and extraction routines. Technologies included SQL Server 7/Transact SQL, IIS/Active Server Pages, Lotus Notes (for email notifications), and MS Excel (for generating downloadable reports).

He participated in the design and implementation of a customer analytics data warehouse for an online merchant. Tasks included defining dimensions and metrics, designing the warehouse data model, applying Andersen's generic star schema load tool set, and transforming and loading historical data into the star schema. The warehouse was built on an Oracle 8i database.

He investigated the capabilities of leading EAI tools and lead the design and implementation of a prototype EAI application using IBM's MQ Series. The prototype included a hub server that facilitated the exchange of XML messages among three representative applications. The extraction and integration of messages at the application servers as well as the collection and distribution of messages at the hub server was written in Java. The prototype results were used to propose an enterprise-wide EAI solution that included a data warehouse that subscribed to all messages sent to the hub.

He designed and led the implementation of a decision support system for Andersen business consulting that reports fees, direct costs, margin, and other data across several dimensions including client, job, time, location, and personnel for 69 U.S. offices and 6 U.S. regions. Tasks included extraction from SQL Server 6.5 and 7.0 databases (Transact SQL), transformations on a SQL Server 7.0 database, loading of an Oracle 8.0 star schema using generic, dynamic PL/SQL, delivery of MicroStrategy reports via web interface (Active Server Pages), and development of a full suite of warehouse maintenance tools using Active Server Pages.

He participated in the implementation of a web application for the U.S. government that captures data points used to calculate key performance indicators used to evaluate customer service contracts.

He designed an enterprise application for a multi-billion dollar energy company that includes activity based costing, shareholder value analysis, and transfer pricing. Matt then led a team of contract developers in the implementation and testing of the application. Matt was responsible for estimating development time and costs, managing project scope, scheduling, and helped make resource decisions (in concert with the client).

He designed and led a team in the implementation of a data warehouse/decision support system for an international company. The warehouse pulls sales, customer, employee, and product data from more than 20 regional offices and allows multi-dimensional analysis at all levels of the company. Matt's responsibilities included tracking and reporting project status, managing project scope, database and extraction design, and managing the development team.

He led the development of a prototype business simulation interface used as a generic front end to systemic business models built using Powersim software. The simulator is a generic Visual Basic program which is customized using MS Access tables to control a specific Powersim model. Matt has also developed an MS Access application to make customization easy for the system modeler. Matt is working to develop this prototype into the firm wide standard interface for systemic models. He has also begun to apply this interface to several modeling projects throughout the firm

Matt worked on an internal custom software package that provides simple front-end access to mainframe employee data used in promotions, raises, and evaluations. Mainframe data is loaded into a Microsoft SQL Server database and then manipulated using Microsoft Access on a Windows platform.

He also worked on a managed healthcare project that proposed to combine four Chicago area managed healthcare providers into a single, consolidated entity. Matt helped design and maintain a dynamic financial model for the newly formed company using Microsoft Excel. He then researched and altered the parameters of the model and analyzed the resulting data to develop possible scenarios and their outcomes. Finally, Matt helped in the design and documentation of the business plan for the startup company.

Frank Ribaudo is a director with West Monroe Partners in Chicago and leader of the firm’s Manufacturing & Distribution practice. He has more than 25 years of industry and consulting experience across diverse business and operating environments.

Highlights

Frank Ribaudo is a highly experienced business leader with expertise in many key facets of business transformation, including IT strategy, governance, and functional design; manufacturing operations including lean layout and design; supply chain assessment, technology, and planning; sales and operations planning; and business process re-engineering. He has worked with global manufacturing and distribution enterprises across a range of sectors, including healthcare products, food, automotive, consumer packaged goods, and industrial products.

Frank joined West Monroe Partners from Baxter Healthcare, where he was director of quality IT programs, responsible for selection, design, and deployment of a standardized, integrated set of IT tools for quality systems and quality operations. Previously, he was a founding partner of Achieve Consulting, LLC, a provider of supply chain and information technology services to clients in the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

Prior to founding Achieve Consulting, Frank held several leadership roles with other consultancies, including director for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Consumer and Industrial Products practice in Chicago; partner in Arthur Andersen’s Business Consulting practice and leader of the Michigan Supply Chain Solutions practice; and manager in Ernst & Young’s Performance Improvement group.  Frank has also held several financial and operational roles in industry with Chiquita Brands International, AlliedSignal Inc., and TLC Beatrice International Inc.

Frank earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from New York University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago. He is a Certified Public Accountant and also is certified in production and inventory management.

Dan Rosanova is a senior architect in West Monroe Partners’ Technology Integration practice in Chicago. He has more than 10 years of experience designing and implementing technology solutions to address critical business issues and enhance performance.

Highlights

Dan Rosanova is a highly experienced technology consultant with expertise in multiple programming languages and software solutions. He crafts solutions utilizing Microsoft and other technologies, including SQL Server, BizTalk, SharePoint Server, ASP.NET, Windows Server, and Visual Studio. Dan’s distinctive skills include domain-driven design, test-driven development, continuous integration, and design patterns with a focus on concurrent highly available architectures.

Dan Joined West Monroe Partners from Nova Enterprise Systems, a Chicago-based consultancy for which he was a founder and principal consultant, responsible for business development, strategic planning, and solution delivery. He led architectural design sessions for global clients and multiple BizTalk projects for a variety of clients. He also developed and led BizTalk training for multiple client service teams. Previously, he was a managing consultant for Risetime in Chicago, where he was a technical lead for a seven-developer team that was part of the Business Process Management practice, and he led projects for all BizTalk clients.

He began his career as a technical consultant for Dakota Systems in Chicago and also has been a senior developer with Simplikate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from DePaul University. He is a writer and blogger for cio.com and is certified in MCTS BizTalk Server and MCTS Distributed Application Development.