Virtually the Best Annual Meeting Ever!
Thriving. Through. Ambiguity.
That’s what the year 2020 was all about. And SAC was here to help you navigate these uncharted waters with the 2020 annual meeting.
Where else can you go to learn about what clients and consultants are doing to not just survive but thrive in 2020—in spite of COVID-19? Where else will you get insights for growing your business this year and planning for what comes next in 2021? Where else can you gather with some of the top minds in consulting on the planet…at a very reasonable fee?
The SAC 17th Annual Meeting moved to a virtual format this year. While we missed seeing you all in New York in person, the good news was that with no travel required, this meeting was now available to everyone—regardless of where you’re located. And we offered this event at a much lower price point (Sorry, we won’t be serving that great breakfast you had last year!).
Here’s what we had in store for you this year:
- Insights from Million Dollar Consulting guru Alan Weiss and a Q&A Ask Alan session
- Top speakers from across the globe on each of our three focus area
- Presentation of the 2nd annual Corrie Shanahan Memorial Advancing Consulting Award
- Sessions scheduled at convenient times for all three geographies: Europe, North America, and Pacific Rim
- All sessions archived for viewing at your convenience, as often as you’d like
- Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions on topics of interest, including promoting a book, coaching, speaking, and creating online courses
- Sessions targeted to those new to the profession or new to SAC
- What Clients Are Thinking: Three sessions, featuring European, North American, and Pacific Rim clients.
- Virtual wine down/ wake up networking sessions to connect with your peers
Purchase the Recordings
Recordings are available to SAC Members for $199 and to Nonmembers for $299.
If you have purchased the Annual Meeting or the recordings, here is a link to the recordings. (Refer to the password provided.)
Want to become a SAC member? You can get the bundle price of $79 for the recordings (after paying membership + application fee). When applying for membership, put in the code SAC2020BUNDLE.
Here’s what was covered in our three-track program:
See our Presenters and Session Descriptions.
- Alan Weiss Keynote Presentation
- Client Panels Representing Each Geographical Area:
- Europe with Patrick Daly, facilitator, Michael Mansfield, Alok Khator, Frank Kilbride, Tom Minnock, Michael Grogan
- North America with Art Koch, facilitator, Joel Stanwood, Danny Davis, Koben Miceli, and Knute Hankins;
- Pacific Rim with Andrew Hollo, facilitator, Paul Hardisty, Peter Nolan, Jayne Nelson
- Courage in Consulting: What a Successful CEO Would Like You to Know – Martin Moore
- Presentation Of Advancing Consulting Awards with Linda Popky and Lisa Anderson
- How We’ve Thrived: Award Winners Talk with Pamela Harper
- Growing Your Advisory Practice: Q&A with Experts with Gene Moran, facilitator: Steven Bleistein, Steven Hunt, Amanda Setili
- Breaking Through Roadblocks – Karen Holst
- Open and Close: Generating Leads and Closing More Business – Colleen Francis
- Financial Resilience: Making the Most of Your Resources – Alisa Barcan, interviewed by Constance Dierickx
- The Pandemic Pivot: Find Your New Normal – Lori Michele Leavitt
- Resilience: What You Need to Know to Recover and Rebound Faster – Richard Citrin
- Selling in the Face of Uncertainty: The secret for winning business in a volatile market – Lisa McLeod
- Ask Alan: Q&A with the Rockstar of Consulting, Alan Weiss
- Seeing What’s Next: Innovation Strategies for Shaping Your Post-Pandemic Future – Robert Tucker
- Building What’s Next: How to Use Innovation to Reimagine and Reinvent Business in 2021 and Beyond – John Kao
- Making House Calls: How Healthcare is Evolving and What That Means for Consultants – Kathryn Bowsher, Cecilia Aviles, Christian Milaster
- The Next Normal–What Every Consultant Should Know About Postpandemic Consumer Trends – Lee Caraher
- Now’s the Time to Be Social: Why Social and Community Are Even More Important – AJ Cartas
- SAC SIGs: Building Thought Leadership Through Association – Lisa Anderson, Martyn Drake, Patrick Daly
- Thought Leadership in the New World: Reinvention, not Resumption – Peter Winick
Breakout Sessions:
These sessions were designed to be smaller and more interactive. You had the opportunity to interact directly with the speakers, share your thoughts, and discuss ideas with colleagues.
- So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today – Linda Popky, facilitator; Hamish Mackenzie, Phil Symchych, Kim Wilkerson
- Building Viz-IP-ility: Systematically multIPlying your IP to rapidly build visibility – Christian Milaster
- Virtually Perfect: Creating Virtual Events that Rock – Robin Farmanfarmaian
- Social Justice, Racial Equality And Business Success:
What do you tell your clients? – Simma Lieberman - Birds of a Feather Sessions: Brainstorm and Share Insights With Your Colleagues:
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- Getting Speaking Engagements – Steve Markman, facilitator
- Coaching – Kevin Berchelmann, facilitator
- Book Writing – Dan Janal, facilitator
- Leveraging the Power of Online Courses – Jeff Cobb, facilitator
- Public Relations – Russell Trahan, facilitator
See our Presenters and Session Descriptions.
Breakout Sessions:
These sessions are designed to be smaller and more interactive. You’ll have the opportunity to interact directly with the speakers, share your thoughts, and discuss ideas with colleagues.
- So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today – Linda Popky, facilitator; Hamish Mackenzie, Phil Symchych, Kim Wilkerson
- Building Viz-IP-ility: Systematically multIPlying your IP to rapidly build visibility – Christian Milaster
- Virtually Perfect: Creating Virtual Events that Rock – Robin Farmanfarmaian
- Social Justice, Racial Equality And Business Success:
What do you tell your clients? – Simma Lieberman - Birds of a Feather Sessions: Brainstorm and Share Insights With Your Colleagues:
-
- Getting Speaking Engagements – Steve Markman, facilitator
- Coaching – Kevin Berchelmann, facilitator
- Book Writing – Dan Janal, facilitator
- Leveraging the Power of Online Courses – Jeff Cobb, facilitator
- Public Relations – Russell Trahan, facilitator
See our Presenters and Session Descriptions.
New SAC Membership AND Annual Meeting Bundle: Register to become a new SAC member here, enter promo code SACBUNDLE2020, and you will receive a discount code to register for the Annual Meeting at a discount of $120! Bundle price: $499 (regularly $619). Become a member today!
Hear What Our Speakers Have to Say
Robin Farmanfarmaian
Steve Markman
Art Koch
Alan Weiss
Peter Winick
Christian Milaster
Steven Bleistein
Gene Moran
Amanda Setili
Lisa Anderson – SAC Executive Director
Award-winning business performance expert Lisa Anderson, the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation that maximizes the customer experience and enables profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth. Lisa is President of the Inland Empire Chapter of APICS (national trade organization supply chain), one of the most active and innovative chapters in the United States. She has been instrumental in engaging students and has fostered the environment that has earned national recognition for the students from Harvey Mudd College and Cal Poly Pomona.
Session: Advancing Consulting Awards Presentation
Join us for the 2nd annual presentation of the Corrie Shanahan Memorial Advancing Consulting Awards.
Session: SAC SIGs: Building Thought Leadership Through Association
Interested in joining SAC members with common interests and skills from around the world to brainstorm, share best practices and build alliances to help each other be more successful? Join us to learn more about SIGs from our inaugural group leaders.
Session: Growth Through Association: How to Maximize the Value of SAC
Advisory projects result in powerful value for the client and a dramatic return for the consultant. Join this panel of experts to learn best practices for growing your advisory practice.
As the operations executive in charge of Sutter Health’s largest ambulatory division, the Peninsula Division of Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), Cecilia Aviles has created groundbreaking programs in response to COVID-19. Overseeing a $1.4 billion P&L, 4,000 employees, and 850 physicians, Aviles has built a culture that focuses on exceptional patient experience—which remains the division’s hallmark as it expands telemedicine initiatives, launches drive-up clinics, and continuously updates safety measures to keep employees and patients safe. A former trauma nurse, Aviles earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management so that she could transition to healthcare administration and impact healthcare delivery at a system level. Her goal is to transform healthcare in ways we have yet to imagine.
Session: Making House Calls: How Healthcare is Evolving and What That Means for Consultants
Not your grandmother’s house-call … Today’s house-call is digitally enabled and part of a larger transformation to the multi-modal future of healthcare. There is much work to do and not all of it is in the healthcare professionals traditional wheelhouse, leading to consulting opportunities such as patient journeys, change leadership, and integrating multiple innovations to create end-to-end digital experiences rather than point solutions.
Alisa Barcan is the founder of The Savvy Corner, a safe space for people to talk openly and honestly about money. She works with individuals who have the potential and desire to improve their personal or business finances but lack the skills and confidence to do so. As a Financial Coach and Consultant, Alisa helps people re-write their financial stories. Using a combination of standard coaching techniques and innovative approaches rooted in behavioral economics and gaming theory, she facilitates lasting and impactful results. Alisa is a prize winner Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) and qualified as a coach with The University of Cambridge, where she teaches a course on building financially viable businesses.
Session: Financial Resilience: Making the Most of Your Resources
Alisa Barcan is interviewed by Constance Dierickx. The last few months have brought about changes to our businesses, the way we work, and our clients’ circumstances. Financial resilience plays a vital role in our ability to navigate our businesses through challenging times, which is what we propose to address in this session. We will discuss the importance of cashflow, reviewing our expenditure and keeping costs in check, negotiation, mindset, and more. You will walk away with an understanding of how to make the most of the resources you already have, both monetary and otherwise.
D. Kevin Berchelmann, CEO and Founder of Triangle Performance, LLC set out nearly two decades ago to take the leadership lessons learned from his military service and senior executive roles in general management, human resources and operations to help companies improve performance by getting the most out of their leadership teams. He knows first-hand that leadership is a learned skill and that improved management performance can drastically change the direction of any organization. Berchelmann is an expert strategist, sought-after executive coach and consultant, and in-demand speaker.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Coaching
Want to build your coaching practice? Interested in learning tips from highly successful executive coaches? Join this interactive Birds of a Feather session to share tips and best practices with your colleagues–facilitated by Kevin Berchelmann, a sought-after coach, strategist, and consultant.
Dr. Steven Bleistein is the go-to expert on rapid business growth and change in companies in Japan, and has published the book on the subject, Rapid Organizational Change (Wiley&Sons 2017). Steve’s Tokyo-based firm Relansa, Inc. has attracted clients like Adidas Japan, Nihon Michelin, BMW Japan, AXA Direct Japan, AIG Group Japan, Danone Japan, and Maserati Japan to name a few. Steve writes for all three of Nikkei’s top business dailies both in English and Japanese, and has appeared on Bloomberg cable news for expert comment on business issues in Japan. Steve co-chairs both the CEO Forum and Independent Business Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, where since 2013 he regularly hosts a popular on-stage conversation event with local CEO’s of note.
Session: Growing Your Advisory Practice: Q&A with Experts
Advisory projects result in powerful value for the client and a dramatic return for the consultant. Join this panel of experts to learn best practices for growing your advisory practice.
Kathryn Bowsher is a highly accomplished commercial strategist with deep expertise in launching and scaling innovative solutions throughout healthcare. Today she focuses on creating winning strategies for the multi-modal era of health. During her 25+ years as both an operating executive and a consultant, Kathryn has driven the success of more than 40 products and initiatives spanning a wide range of therapeutic areas, sites of care, and business models, the world over. Kathryn’s extensive commercial experience includes global leaders and start-ups such as Health Evolution, Johnson & Johnson, Stanford Health, PurThread Technologies, and Raptor Pharmaceuticals. She began her work in new products at Goldman Sachs. Kathryn holds degrees from Princeton and Stanford.
Session: Making House Calls: How Healthcare is Evolving and What that Means for Consultants
Not your grandmother’s house-call … Today’s house-call is digitally enabled and part of a larger transformation to the multi-modal future of healthcare. There is much work to do and not all of it is in the healthcare professionals traditional wheelhouse, leading to consulting opportunities such as patient journeys, change leadership, and integrating multiple innovations to create end-to-end digital experiences rather than point solutions.
Lee McEnany Caraher is the CEO of Double Forte PR & Digital Marketing, a national agency headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Eau Claire, WI. An acclaimed communication strategist, Lee is known for her practical solutions to big problems. Her company works with some of the top consumer lifestyle, digital life, technology and wine brands in the country. Lee serves on the board of directors for the Public Relations Council, the national association for public relations agencies.
Session: The Next Normal–What Every Consultant Should Know About Postpandemic Consumer Trends
While we still don’t know what shape curve the recovery from COVID-19 will take, we know we must start to plan now for the next normal. Because if anything is certain, it’s that change is inevitable and continuous. In this session, acclaimed communication strategist Lee Caraher will share 15 consumer trends identified for the next normal that may impact consultants and our clients.
AJ Cartas personally had over 1 million followers on social media and is currently the Founder & CEO of Syzygy Social, a social media agency that specializes in organic social media, content marketing, community management, influencer marketing, and branding. Previously, AJ was the Director of Social Media for ByteDance, the $150 billion parent company of TikTok, and was Director of Influencer Marketing for Calm. Other previous works include Quaker, Western Digital, Lady Gaga, and Kehlani. His experience also extends in the political realm who lead digital for now San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, Commissioner-elect Ted Terry in Georgia, and a few Congressional and US Senate campaigns. AJ is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, LGBT, and college dropout. He is the author of Startups and Downs, which talks about his experience in Silicon Valley as a college dropout.
Session: Now’s the Time to Be Social: Why Social and Community Are Even More Important
Social media & community management are hot buzzwords. As we move through ambiguity to what’s next postpandemic, social media is now an even more important focus on to build online community. Learn more about how you can build meaningful relationships through community-centric content in this session with social media expert AJ Cartas.
Richard Citrin, Ph.D., MBA is an organizational management psychologist, speaker and author. Richard’s work has delivered over $1b of value to his clients, over the years who include FedEx, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Philips Healthcare as well as many non-profits and small and family held businesses. Richard is the author of 3 books including The Resilience Advantage where he discusses ways that individuals and organizations can create a culture that moves away from the blaming mentality of stress management to an empowering mindset of resilience.
Session: Resilience: What You Need to Know to Recover and Rebound Faster
When you think about the qualities that you have had to manifest during the Pandemic, resilience has to be near the top of the list. Resilience is a quality that is hard-wired into each of us, yet each of us have to uncover our own capabilities when facing challenges and adversity. You will walk away from this session with a greater understanding of your own resilience capability and tools to strengthen your own resilience skills.
Jeff Cobb is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in the online education business. After successfully launching, growing, and selling his own learning management system and online course business, he went on to co-found Tagoras, a consulting firm that helps organizations maximize the reach, revenue, and impact of their learning businesses.
Jeff is also the author of Leading the Learning Revolution: The Expert’s Guide to Capitalizing on the Exploding Lifelong Education Market. Through the Learning Revolution website he provides expert guidance to solopreneurs and small businesses who want to create and sell online education.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Leveraging the Power of Online Courses
Are you considering creating online courses to reach more people with your knowledge and expertise – and create new revenue streams? Have you already taken the plunge? In this session we’ll address questions about what it takes to launch into online courses and share experiences about what works – or doesn’t – when it comes to creating courses, attracting and engaging students, and generating significant revenue.
Patrick Daly is the founder and Managing Director of Alba Consulting, a business consultancy focused on international supply chain, logistics, and operations based in Dublin, Ireland. Patrick is an accomplished consultant, speaker, trainer, author and broadcaster and has been active in the logistics sector for over 25 years. He works with many top Fortune 500 companies in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics services in Europe, Asia. and the Americas, helping them achieve dramatic improvements in their supply chain capabilities and performance through supply chain excellence. Patrick has worked with clients all over the world including China, India, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Egypt, UAE, United States, UK, Spain, Croatia, and others.
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Session: SAC SIGs: Building Thought Leadership Through Association
Interested in joining SAC members with common interests and skills from around the world to brainstorm, share best practices and build alliances to help each other be more successful? Join us to learn more about SIGs from our inaugural group leaders.
Danny Davis is a partner at American Industrial Partners in New York, New York
Session: North American Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Constance Dierickx, The Decision Doctor® helps boards and senior executives in crisis, with high-stakes decisions, and when strategic shifts are critical. An expert on mergers and acquisitions, she has worked with companies across the globe in dozens of industries. Her M&A clients succeed 400% more often than the average. Executive coaching clients call her “the secret weapon.” Constance is a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes. She is the author of High Stakes Leadership: Leading Through Crisis with Courage, Judgment, and Fortitude and co-author of The Merger Mindset. She is board chair of the Partnership Against Domestic Violence and a member of the Advisory Board of Executive Women of Goizueta, Emory University.
Session: Financial Resilience: Making the Most of Your Resources
Constance Dierickx interviews Alisa Barcan. The last few months have brought about changes to our businesses, the way we work, and our clients’ circumstances. Financial resilience plays a vital role in our ability to navigate our businesses through challenging times, which is what we propose to address in this session. We will discuss the importance of cashflow, reviewing our expenditure and keeping costs in check, negotiation, mindset, and more. You will walk away with an understanding of how to make the most of the resources you already have, both monetary and otherwise.
Martyn Drake is the founder of Binley Drake Consulting, the boutique management consultancy he set up in 2009 to help ambitious business leaders dramatically improve the performance of their organisations. His expertise, developed over twenty years in FSTE 100 blue-chip businesses, spans strategy, leadership, change management, marketing, sales, and high-stakes negotiation. His commercial-sector clients range from global names like Weight Watchers and Walgreens Boots Alliance, to mid-sized entrepreneurial businesses like, Joules, First Choice, Shine and King of Shaves. His first book, The Commercial Charity: How business thinking can help non-profits grow impact and income, was published by Kogan Page in April 2020.
Session: SAC SIGs: Building Thought Leadership Through Association
Interested in joining SAC members with common interests and skills from around the world to brainstorm, share best practices and build alliances to help each other be more successful? Join us to learn more about SIGs from our inaugural group leaders.
Robin Farmanfarmaian is a professional speaker, entrepreneur and angel investor working on companies in cutting edge tech poised to impact 100M people or more. With over 140 speaking engagements in 14 countries, she educates audiences on technology, the future of healthcare, patient empowerment, building thought leadership, and more. Additionally, she has been on the founding or organizing team for more than 200 events and conferences, including many as Executive Director, Executive Producer, Chair, or President. Robin has 3 published books: The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers the Healthcare Consumer, The Thought Leader Formula: Strategically Leverage Your Expertise to Drive Business & Career Goals, and the recently released Facilitating Virtual Events: Driving Participant Engagement & Interaction.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Virtually Perfect: Creating Virtual Events that Rock
The virtual corporate meeting and conference industry exploded with 2020’s sudden shift to the online world, forcing everyone to become experts overnight on effective and engaging virtual events. Robin Farmanfarmaian just launched her latest book to help virtual events replace the crucial in-person networking in the online space Facilitating Virtual Events: Driving Participant Engagement & Interaction.
There are many components to live events beyond the speakers and content. No one goes to a conference just to stare at a stage – and the virtual event world shouldn’t be any different. An event’s total experience is composed of content, speakers, networking, interaction, and activities. Instead of just focusing on phenomenal digital content, Robin will help you to bring the full event experience to life online, with expert facilitation to make it all come together.
Colleen Francis, founder and president of Engage Selling Solutions, is driven by a passion for sales – and results. A successful sales leader for over 20 years, she understands the challenges of selling in today’s market. Clients note her frank, no-nonsense approach to solving problems and addressing opportunities – an approach that delivers sales results. Colleen is the best-selling author of popular sales books including Nonstop Sales Boom. She is a Certified Sales Professional (C.S.P.) and an inductee into the Speaking Hall of Fame. Sales and Marketing Magazine has called Colleen and Engage Selling one of the top 5 most effective sales training organizations in the market today.
Session: Open and Close: Generating Leads and Closing More Business
The rules have changed in today’s buying culture. The customers are different. How they buy is different. And of course even economy in which we sell to them is different. Buyers have embraced these changes quickly and dramatically. But far too many consultants remain stuck in the past. They still use outdated tactics, canned value pitches that are irrelevant to the customer, and manipulative closing tricks that do nothing but stagnate sales results.
Has your selling model evolved to profit from this change? If it haven’t, it’s a mistake that’s costing you money and customers every day. Open and Close takes you deep inside the mind of today’s customer. Discover how you can:
- Adopt a winning combination of frequency and market reach to improve your closing speed by 40% and your closing ratios by 30%,
- Use your secret salesforce to influence your buyers before they even hear from you,
- Nail down the fine line between persistence and stalking to give you an instant 80% increase in call-back ratios, and
- Leverage today’s best buying and selling practices for the benefit of selling more in less time while increasing the value of your brand
Michael Grogan is the Head of Global Supply Chain, HUYA Bioscience International, Ireland
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Knute Hankins is a disciplined and persuasive hands-on senior leader with a passion for global operational leadership and promoting a constant improvement environment. From a commissioned second lieutenant from West Point, to more recent corporate exposures, Knute has established a reputation for performance improvement, cost reduction, quality focus, and task accomplishment. Highly regarded for delivering bottom-line results while in private industry and exceeding all expectations during military deployments including in the Middle East.
Session: North American Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Paul Hardisty is a C-Suite Executive, President & Representative Company Director who has over 30 years experienced in 5 countries across Asia Pacific and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Entrepreneurial by nature, and a results-focused P&L owner, Paul specializes in value creation across Asia. A market innovator, able to navigate complex multi-jurisdictional finance, statutory, and regulatory regimes, he applies in-depth market analysis to formulate strategic business plans that improve marketing competitiveness, frame pricing and product strategy, and support enhanced portfolio management and profit-driven growth.
Session: Pacific Rim Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Founding partner and CEO of Business Advancement Inc., Pam Harper is a strategic growth expert who enables visionary CEOs, boards, and senior executives of successful companies to get to the heart of complex strategic leadership issues to accelerate momentum for game-changing results. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book Preventing Strategic Gridlock®, and was cited as an acknowledged expert in Alexandra R. Lajoux’s 2019 book The Art of M&A 5th Edition. Pam is co-host of Growth Igniters® Radio, featuring best-selling authors and mid-market CEOs who are transforming the face of business. She founded and for over 5 years chaired the Association for Corporate Growth NJ’s Corporate Growth Conference & Awards, one of the association’s signature events. Pam is also the Founding Chair, of SAC’s Advancing Consulting Awards Committee.
Session: How We’ve Thrived: Award Winners Talk
Pam Harper, chair of the SAC Awards committee, will interview this year’s award recipients to give you a better idea of how their business is thriving. Last year, this was a highlight of the meeting–you will not want to miss this session!
Andrew Hollo gets people aligned on complex issues. For over 20 years as principal consultant and director of Workwell Consulting, he has worked on hundreds of transformative strategic projects, which rely on his standout skills of gaining consensus where diverse views exist, and synthesizing complex material into clear strategies, plans, and frameworks. His clients are governments, businesses and non-profits, whose leaders want to dramatically increase their impact and efficiency as policy makers, regulators, service deliverers, researchers, think tanks and social influencers.
Session: Pacific Rim Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Karen Holst, Co-Author of Start Within, is an entrepreneur turned intrapreneur. She co-founded educational technology startup MyEdu, formerly Pick-A-Prof (acquired by Blackboard), and transitioned to intrapreneurial roles within the California Department of Education, IDEO, Autodesk, and LinkedIn Learning. From government agencies and nonprofits to startups and Fortune 500 companies, Karen has worked with organizations of varying sizes and across industries to help their leadership unlock creative potential and empower their employees to innovate. Her expertise on innovation has been featured in TechCrunch, The New York Times, NPR, The Chicago Tribute, CNN, and more. Karen currently teaches courses through LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), serves on the board of Thrive Education, and mentors entrepreneurs through TechStars and Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Leaders Program.
Session: Breaking Through Roadblocks
Clients and consultants all agree—now is the time to leverage problems as opportunities. In this session, learn about the methodologies that transform a corporate mindset into an innovative and experimental approach. The framework shared will unlock the “doers” within an organization to become effective change makers and disruptors.
Steven Hunt, founder of Steven Hunt & Associates, helps global managers to get their international workforce fully behind change plans and transformation initiatives. Steven has been a trusted advisor and coach to executives from more than 50 nationalities, in 27 countries worldwide. His work enables those executives to build a high-performance, innovative culture and enjoy global growth, by increasing the confidence and operational clarity in their functions and teams. Steven’s global sector experience includes: Manufacturing, Automotive, IT & Technology, Pharma, Financial Services and Energy.
Session: Growing Your Advisory Practice: Q&A with Experts
Advisory projects result in powerful value for the client and a dramatic return for the consultant. Join this panel of experts to learn best practices for growing your advisory practice.
Dan Janal works with leaders who want to elevate their reputations and set themselves apart from their competitors. As a book coach, developmental editor and ghostwriter, he shapes stories and strategies that can transform a career or a business. In addition to the books he has written for clients, he has written thirteen books that have been translated into six languages. As a result of his work, clients often share they have more focus, more credibility, more visibility and more impact with readers. To learn more, go to www.WriteYourBookInAFlash.com. He also produces the weekly podcast, “Write Your Book in a Flash with Dan Janal,” which has featured many SAC members. To listen, to go www.TopBusinessLeaders.com.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Book Writing
Writing a book shows the world you are a thought leader who can be trusted, so you can gain more clients.
In this session, participants will share:
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- How they benefited from writing a book
- Tips they learned about writing, editing, publishing, and marketing their books
- Anything else the group wants to discuss
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John Kao is a thought leader, practitioner and activist, who has played a leading role in the fields of innovation and business creativity for over 30 years. His knowledge is eclectic and blends the perspectives of former Harvard Business School professor, serial entrepreneur, musician, master facilitator, former CEO, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, best-selling author and Tony-nominated producer of film and stage. Yamaha Music Corporation named him their first “innovation artist.” The Economist tagged John with the nicknames “Mr. Creativity” and “A Serial Innovator.” He is a trusted advisor to leaders of companies, startups and nations that are on the hot seat to deliver meaningful innovation strategies and action agendas.
Session: Building What’s Next: How to Use Innovation to Reimagine and Reinvent Business in 2021 and Beyond
We know innovation is a powerful force–for consultants and for our clients. But how do you build actual proficiency in innovation? John Kao, creator of the Harvard Business School Innovation Business curriculum, will share his insights on the tools and tactics needed to build your innovative muscle in today’s environment.
Alok Khator is the Plant Manager, Crown Flour Mill at Olam. He is responsible for complete P&L, Supply Chain, Regulatory Compliance, Industrial Relations and Strategic Plans for Factory Operations.
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Frank Kilbride is the Country Manager for Ireland at Aramex, one of the leading global logistics and transportation solutions providers. He is responsible for driving business in one of the company’s main hubs in Europe, has over 20 years of experience, in the freight and logistics industry, and has held management positions in regional supply chain management and packaging production and services companies.
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Art Koch is a Principal Consultant with Arthur Koch Management Consulting, LLC. Art has 20+ years’ results-oriented business transformation leadership with particular emphasis on profit creation through improvements to inventory velocity, customer service and factory management. He has experience in the U.S., Asia, South America, Mexico, Europe and Canada. Art has consulted with Executive and Leadership teams in a wide array of product manufacturing companies from consumer products, tier 1 automotive suppliers, aerospace/defense, electronics and electrical mechanical as well as wholesale and distribution.
Session: North American Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Lori Michele Leavitt cares about business vibrancy, and great leadership. She is The Pivot Catalyst. She catalyzes momentum for leaders and teams through keynotes, leadership sessions and peer groups, coaching, consulting and software to sustain alignment and momentum. She has a passion for bringing life to great ideas, and bringing “nimble practices to grown up companies.” She is the author of The Pivot: Orchestrating Extraordinary Business Momentum. As a certified business growth advisor, leadership coach, and technology entrepreneur, Lori is a pivotal asset in helping smart companies stay strong.
Session: The Pandemic Pivot: Find Your New Normal
Things are different now, but don’t panic. You’ve got this. Pivoting is about orchestrating many shifts. It’s involves taking the best next steps–starting now. In this talk, Lori Michele Leavitt, The Pivot Catalyst, will help catalyze your Pivot. or help you support a client in A pivot of their own. In this talk, Lori will address:
- What orchestrating Pivoting requires, even when change is urgent
- There is no hero in a Pivot
- Alignment
- Resistance and other hurdles
- Momentum
- Is it working?
Simma Lieberman helps leaders create workplace cultures where people can do their best work. She is known as “the Inclusionist” because of her ability to bring people together from all backgrounds, work functions and organizational levels to take active roles in building inclusive cultures that last. Simma is a consultant, executive coach and facilitator.
Session: Social Justice, Racial Equality And Business Success: What Do You Tell Your Clients?
As more senior leaders explore how to support social justice issues, we as consultants need to know how to help, what to say, and how to show we are aligned with their values. However, too often many of these leaders have no idea what to do next, besides create catchy slogans. Many organizations are concerned their efforts may make things worse, not better.
This program, led by Simma Lieberman, the Inclusionist, will give you the perspective you need to help your clients take appropriate actions and to play key roles in the quest for social change. Simma offers three Dos and three Don’ts to support your clients and ensure they are seen as leaders in this area.
Hamish Mackenzie (hamishmackenzie.com) helps businesses rapidly uncover and monetize hidden growth potential. His clients include large industrial manufacturers, software companies and biotech startups across Europe, North America and Japan. He is the author of the Insperatus newsletter and several ebooks on positioning and value creation, and is the host of the Growth Position podcast. He is also a graduate of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting College, and a certified Sentient Strategy practitioner. Last but not least, he is a European Ambassador for SAC, working closely with fellow Ambassador Patrick Daly to run live and online SAC events across Europe.
Session: So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today
Whether you’re new to consulting or just to SAC, this session is for you. Our panel will share some of the things they’ve learned on their journey and offer advice on how to make your next steps most successful.
Michael Mansfield is the Fixative Value Stream Leader at GSK, Ireland.
He is an experienced Operations Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Operations Management, Manufacturing, Warehouse, Logistics, Customer Service, and Business Process Improvement. Strong operations professional graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology.
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Steve Markman is the Founder and President of Markman Speaker Management, LLC, a multi-service speaker agency founded in 1994. With over 30 years of experience in the speaker and conference business, Steve conducts customized one-on-one virtual training and coaching sessions designed particularly for independent consultants. These sessions are designed to boost visibility, generate business leads, and demonstrate thought leadership. Similarly, his firm conducts training for corporate marketing and PR/communications staff to develop or improve a company’s speaker placement process. Steve’s Executive Visibility Speaker service has helped clients in virtually all industries, get speaking engagements. His Speakers Bureau division, provides keynote speakers to organizations worldwide.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Getting Speaking Engagements: Boost Visibility, Generate Business Leads and Create Thought Leadership
Even during this pandemic, as most events shift to being virtual, public speaking remains one sure way to create visibility. In this BOF session we’ll discuss best practices for consultants to attain speaking engagements. Points of discussion will include:
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- Researching and identifying the “right” speaking opportunities aimed at your target audiences
- How and when to submit speaker proposals to event organizers
- Creating high-impact, compelling speaker proposals that win you MORE speaking engagements
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Lisa McLeod is the global expert on purpose-driven business. She’s spent two decades helping leaders increase competitive differentiation and emotional engagement. She is the author of five books, including her bestseller: Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work That Makes You Proud.
Lisa developed the Noble Purpose methodology after her research revealed salespeople who sell with Noble Purpose outsell those who focus on targets and quotas. She is a former Procter & Gamble Sales Leader who founded her own firm, McLeod & More, Inc. in 2001. Lisa helps leaders at organizations like Cisco, Roche, Volvo, and Dave & Busters drive exponential revenue growth. Her book, Leading with Noble Purpose: How to Create a Tribe of True Believers shows leaders how to win the hearts and minds of their teams and customers.
Session: Selling in the Face of Uncertainty: The secret for winning business in a volatile market
In her research for the new edition of Selling with Noble Purpose, Lisa McLeod discovered that the ability to sit with uncertainty is one of the distinguishing traits of top sales performers. Lisa applies her expertise to helping consultants build their businesses. In this session you’ll learn:
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- How to create urgency, even when your buyers are dealing with ambiguity.
- Why tethering yourself to a revenue number creates ineffective sales behavior
- How to reset yourself before critical clients interactions.
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Koben Miceli is a highly accomplished CEO with repeated successes in a wide range of industries, business challenges, geographies, and cultural challenges. He has generated substantial shareholder returns for public company and private equity sponsors, and in all stages from fast growth, to turnarounds, to mature markets.
Session: North American Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Christian Milaster has passionately operated at the intersection of technology and healthcare delivery for 20 years. He is a Master Builder of telehealth programs and digital health strategies and a trusted advisor to startups in the digital health and telehealth world. A German engineer by training, Christian worked at the Mayo Clinic for 12 years before launching Ingenium Digital Health Advisors.
Session: Building Viz-IP-ility: Systematically multIPlying your IP to rapidly build visibility.
Do you have the self-discipline to create Intellectual Property (IP) on a regular basis? Have you figured out how to make sure that this IP is seen by those in need of your expertise? Inspired by Noah Fleming’s success with his weekly newsletter and by the constant examples from within our community on leveraging and re-using your content through LinkedIn, blogs and press releases, I finally created myself a system to do the same. And for the first time I am sharing this journey in great detail.
By October 2020 I will have published over 60 articles and garnered close to 100,000 views of my posts on LinkedIn; grown my LinkedIn network by over 1,000 qualified individuals who wanted to connect with me (rejecting approx. 500 requests in the process) and created an impressive library of content that gave birth to at least a dozen white papers and, probably next, a book. Join me as I share with you the results, the system, and the tactics I’ve used from being virtually unknown to vastly growing my visibility.
Session: Making House Calls: How Healthcare is Evolving and What that Means for Consultants
Not your grandmother’s house-call … Today’s house-call is digitally enabled and part of a larger transformation to the multi-modal future of healthcare. There is much work to do and not all of it is in the healthcare professionals traditional wheelhouse, leading to consulting opportunities such as patient journeys, change leadership, and integrating multiple innovations to create end-to-end digital experiences rather than point solutions.
Tom Minnock is the Supply Chain Operations Manager at Glanbia, Ireland.
Session: European Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Martin Moore From university drop out to CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, Martin forged a successful 30+ year career working for a range of major businesses across multiple industries. He demonstrated career agility before it was trendy, holding senior executive roles in Sales and Marketing, Finance, Strategy, and IT. Best known as the CEO who turned around CS Energy, Martin led his team to implement sustainable culture change, driving EBITDA from $18m to $441m, a compound annual growth rate of 125%. He is now focused on improving the quality of leaders globally, each week reaching tens of thousands of leaders in over 70 countries with his chart-topping, 5-star rated podcast ‘No Bullsh!t Leadership.’ A life-long learner with insatiable curiosity, Martin holds an MBA from the QUT Graduate School of Business, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
Session: Courage in Consulting: What a Successful CEO Would Like You to Know
Your consulting business is built on trust, and if you don’t have a recognised brand like McKinsey or KPMG, you’d better be able to build trust quickly! Every organization has a lot of yes-women and yes-men to keep the CEO’s tires pumped up .Your customers don’t need you to tell them how good they are, they need you to help improve their condition. Former CS Energy CEO Martin Moore provides frank and fearless advice about the steps you need to take to develop a profound understanding of your value proposition, giving you the courage to go after the big clients you want to serve!
Gene Moran is the founder and President of Capitol Integration. Gene helps companies of all sizes achieve dramatic outcomes in Washington, DC. Focusing on federal funding and policy support for defense and security companies, Gene guides clients through the complex process of gaining, protecting and increasing federal funding at the strategic level. His results are measured in the billions of dollars. Gene wrote the book on the federal process, Pitching the Big Top: How to Master the 3-Ring Circus of Federal Sales.
Session: Growing Your Advisory Practice: Q&A with Experts
Advisory projects result in powerful value for the client and a dramatic return for the consultant. Join this panel of experts to learn best practices for growing your advisory practice.
Jayne Nelson is the CEO of IPC Health. She is an experienced executive who is solutions focused with a strong track record in customer oriented strategies, stakeholder engagement, reputation building and business transformation. Her strengths are in developing strategies and leading complex teams to deliver a service-oriented, high performance work culture. She is a rational leader, assessing all risks, opportunities, and is decisive and proactive once evidence is presented.
Session: Pacific Rim Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Peter Nolan is the Chief Executive Officer of PEER in Adelaide, Australia.
Session: Pacific Rim Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Linda Popky – SAC Executive Director
Award-winning marketing expert Linda J. Popky, the founder and president of Leverage2Market Associates, transforms organizations through powerful marketing performance. Her clients range from small businesses and consultants to mid-sized companies and large Fortune 500 enterprises. Named one of Silicon Valley’s Top 100 Women of Influence and a member of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting® Hall of Fame, Linda J. Popky has extensive experience in marketing – in industry, agencies, and consulting. She is the former president of Women in Consulting and certified as a master mentor in the Private Roster Mentoring Program. Linda is the author of Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage With Marketing That Matters.
Session: So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today
Whether you’re new to consulting or just to SAC, this session is for you. Our panel will share some of the things they’ve learned on their journey and offer advice on how to make your next steps most successful.
Session: Advancing Consulting Awards Presentation
Join us for the 2nd annual presentation of the Corrie Shanahan Memorial Advancing Consulting Awards.
Session: Growth Through Association: How to Maximize the Value of SAC
Join us to learn how to maximize your SAC membership.
Amanda Setili is president of strategy consulting firm Setili & Associates. An internationally acclaimed expert on strategic agility®, she gives her clients – including Cardinal Health, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, UPS and Walmart—unbiased advice on how to respond quickly and intelligently to a changing marketplace. Amanda was previously an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, a chemical engineer at Kimberly-Clark, and served as an executive with two successful disruptive technology startups. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Harvard Business School and has taught at Emory’s Goizueta Business School. Amanda is the author of Fearless Growth: The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate Your Markets and The Agility Advantage, How to Identify and Act On Opportunities in a Fast-Changing World.
Session: Growing Your Advisory Practice: Q&A with Experts
Advisory projects result in powerful value for the client and a dramatic return for the consultant. Join this panel of experts to learn best practices for growing your advisory practice.
Joel Stanwood is a private equity investment professional with strong track record of successful MOIC outcomes through building great companies. His investment experiences include private equity, deal sourcing, investment underwriting, value creation planning and execution, post-merger integration, company governance, board membership, exit planning and industrials.
Session: North American Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Phil Symchych helps companies develop and implement growth strategies that drive top line sales, increase bottom line profits, and enhance valuations that build business wealth. He has created the global SME Advisor® program to help other consultants and advisors who work with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their consulting effectiveness and increase their clients’ results. His proprietary Strategy Wheel(tm) helps consultants to demonstrate their skill and speed during business development to attract clients, and during strategy sessions to help accelerate clients’ success. Phil is the author of The Business Wealth Builders, along with Alan Weiss. They combined Phil’s knowledge of Main Street businesses with Alan’s knowledge of Wall Street businesses to create a powerful book for creating business wealth. He is also the author of The Four Roads to Business Wealth.
Session: So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today
Whether you’re new to consulting or just to SAC, this session is for you. Our panel will share some of the things they’ve learned on their journey and offer advice on how to make your next steps most successful.
Russell Trahan, Owner and President of PR/PR Public Relations, has more than 25 years in the public relations field. He started his career working with Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Associations. Gathering experience at a top 10 market radio station, Russell then returned to the non-profit sector. After tenure with the Walt Disney Company, he joined PR/PR. Russell attended the Institute for Organizational Management at Stanford University.
Breakout Session: Birds of a Feather – Public Relations
Where does PR fit in the marketing plan for today’s consultants? Do old school PR tactics still work? Are there new publicity avenues you should pursue to get the most visibility for your busines? Join us for this interactive Birds of a Feather session to share tips and best practices with your colleages–facilitated by Russell Trahan of PR/PR Public Relations.
Robert Tucker is a veteran public speaker (54 countries and 200 of the Fortune 500 have relied on his advice) whose seven books focus on driving growth through innovation and managing for the future.
Session: Seeing What’s Next: Innovation Strategies for Shaping Your Post-Pandemic Future
In this session, futurist and innovation strategist Robert Tucker focuses on the mindset, skillset and toolset that consultants will need to thrive and prosper in the post-Covid era. The twin abilities to anticipate and creatively respond to rapid shifts in customer requirements, technological developments emergent driving forces of change will determine success or failure, prosperity or pain. This powerful session shows you how to create an early warning system in your practice that enables you to cope with sudden disruption and gain the edge with new technologies and innovation processes. This session will provide actionable “take home” solutions to assist members in turning crisis into your firm’s opportunity. Don’t miss it!
Million Dollar Consultant Alan Weiss, president of Summit Consulting, has been called the “rock star of consulting.” He’s published over 500 articles and 60 books on consulting, is an inductee into the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame® and the concurrent recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award of Excellence. He has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, one of only two people in history holding both those designations. The founder of SAC, Alan has developed the premiere global community for solo consultants.
Session: Keynote Presentation: Thriving Through Ambiguity
2020 has been a year of volatility and ambiguity. Our keynote by SAC’s founder, Alan Weiss will focus on thriving through ambiguity.
Session: Ask Alan: Q&A with the Rockstar of Consulting
Take advantage of the opportunity to ask the Rockstar of Consulting questions on how to grow a successful consulting practice.
Kim Wilkerson, Wilkerson Consulting Group, is known as a real-time, high impact consultant and coach who creates dramatic organizational progress and profound individual growth. Her clients, who engage her as a trusted advisor and partner, consistently achieve tangible, successful results in their mission to “get from here to there.” She is recognized for achieving mission critical, high stakes results. She is co-author, with Alan Weiss, of The Language of Success: The Confidence and Ability To Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say in Business and Life, Business Expert Press 2016. Her wide-ranging expertise is drawn from over three decades of professional experience.
Session: So You’re New Around Here: What You Need to Know to Be Successful in Consulting Today
Whether you’re new to consulting or just to SAC, this session is for you. Our panel will share some of the things they’ve learned on their journey and offer advice on how to make your next steps most successful.
Craig Wilson is the Chief Operating Officer at ITL BioMedical.
Session: Pacific Rim Client Panel
Interested in learning what’s on your client’s mind? Join this client panel to learn how executives hire consultants, what they look for in consultants and what their best consultants do that the rest don’t.
Peter Winick is the founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage. For the past two decades he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products. His clients come from a diverse set of backgrounds and specialties. They include New York Times bestselling business book authors, members of the Speakers’ Hall of Fame, recipients of the Thinkers50 award, CEOs of public and privately held companies, and academics at prestigious institutions such as Yale, Wharton, Dartmouth, and London School of Business.
Session: Thought Leadership in the New World: Reinvention, not Resumption
Consultants need to embrace and deploy thought leadership today more then ever–to build your brand and stand out from your competitors, and to avoid being “commoditized.” This is THE most cost-effective way to acquire net new clients, PERIOD. Now it the time to reinvent, not resume. What worked before may not be valid today. Reinvention isn’t easy but the outcomes make it worth the effort. Peter Winick, of Thought Leadership Leverage will share what you need to do NOW to ensure your content is relevant, and discuss the modalities you need to embrace now more than ever before.
See Highlights from our past annual conferences.