• Meet our Alumni
  • Estela Gil Alberdi
  • Johannes Schmidt Tophoff
  • Laurent Ledoux
  • Luiz Kaufmann
  • Massimiliano Masi
  • Peter Laurin
  • Thomas Comstedt
• Alumni registration
• Employee registration
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Why did you start working at Arthur D. Little?
During my studies I became interested in consulting in general. The main reason for finally choosing Arthur D. Little was the impression of my colleagues that I got during an internship period with the company. I was appealed by the pragmatic, high quality solutions delivered by Arthur D. Little and the way of working in close collaboration with clients.

Which are your most memorable moments at Arthur D. Little?
I especially remember my first project at Arthur D. Little, where we were asked to help a client increase productivity by a hundred percent. After being able to handle initial resistance from client personnel, the project was very successful. In the project, I enjoyed large responsibility that allowed me to develop extensively at the same time as I obtained support from the project leader and experts when needed. Another memorable moment was the first time I was assigned project leadership. It was a challenge, working together with the client's executive management team solving a difficult issue. Nevertheless, the project was a success and laid the foundation for several continuation projects with the client.

Which were your most interesting projects during your time at Arthur D. Little?
I enjoyed my last project at Arthur D. Little very much, since it gave me approximately 1.5 year with the same client in the automotive industry. This allowed me to obtain a deep knowledge about the client organization and the team became their discussion partner for all types of issues. Another highlight of my Arthur D. Little career was a project where we made an evaluation of a customer concept for an automotive supplier. This was a project where a main strength of Arthur D. Little really became apparent, namely the ability to combine strategy & organization with operations management. For example, you need not only to decide which customers to direct business towards, but also investigate how to profitably supply these customers.

What do you enjoy most about your current position?
In 2005 I started working at Plastal, a leading supplier of interior and exterior plastics for cars, trucks and other vehicles. It is a company with 1400 million Euro in revenues and approximately 7 500 employees. My areas of responsibility at Plastal include M&A, corporate development and market intelligence. I am also responsible for the business plan process and the general strategic direction on which I work together with the rest of the executive team. This job fits me well and I enjoy contributing with a new perspective that completes the experienced managers in the team. Since I am a young member of the executive team I have a lot to learn from the other members and I am obtaining a greater knowledge about the management of a company. Particularly exciting with my job at the moment is that Plastal is facing a large integration following the acquisition of the German company Dynamit Nobel Kunststoff. In addition, I enjoy working in the automotive supplier industry which is demanding and leading in many areas.

Having young children, how do you manage the balance between career and family life?
When I started at Arthur D. Little I knew the conditions and that the balance between career and family could be hard to manage at times. On the other hand, I managed to have two children, now one and five years old, and my experience is that there is an understanding within the company for different family situations. The advantage with my current position is that I am more in control of my time and that I have a greater flexibility. However, I do believe that you can combine family life with being a successful consultant at Arthur D. Little.

What advice would you give to young consultants at Arthur D. Little?
There are three things I would like to advice a young consultant. Always ensure quality in everything you do. Secondly, don't be afraid to ask. You should not feel restricted by hierarchical boundaries when you have a problem, since approaching the right person can make your work much more efficient. Make sure to create your own network within Arthur D. Little with useful contacts whom you can turn to for help. Thirdly, you should always maintain a high general knowledge of the current events in the business world. Reading articles and following business news will give you the ability to be up-to-date on issues facing current and future clients and give you a larger basis of knowledge to use in your daily work.

Finally, would you do the Arthur D. Little experience all over again?
Yes, definitely!