CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023

Facebook: @ceotodaymag Twitter: @ceotodaymag YouTube: CEO Today Magazine Instagram: @ceo.today LinkedIn: /ceo-today Follow Us. Connect with the Powerful and Influential. Follow us on social media to receive the latest updates, news and online features on the go. www.ceotodaymagazine.com

CEO T O D A Y EXECUTIVE COACHING AWARDS 2023 WINNERS EDITION COMING SOON Click here or visit www.ceotodaymagazine.com for more information Celebrating the best in Leadership and Management Coaching and recognising just how integral Coaches are to innovation and growth across the Business World. CEO T O D A Y

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - INTRODUCTION - - 5 - Welcome to CEO Today’s Management Consulting Awards 2023 Edition. In the ever-evolving business landscape, the role of management consultants remains vital, as they provide insights and solutions to the myriad challenges companies face. With the CEO Today’s Management Consulting Awards, we aim to recognize the diligent professionals in this sector who have made notable contributions. In this edition, we feature a range of individuals whose work in the consultancy domain has garnered attention. Amongst these include; On the front cover, we feature Antonio Panico of Business Coaching Italia, who has been instrumental in offering business strategies tailored to the unique challenges of the Italian market. Another notable inclusion is Francisco Ortega, representing McKinsey & Company, who brings to the table a wealth of experience in understanding the intricacies of large-scale business operations and the nuances of consultancy. From Bain & Company, Inc., Stephanie Koszyk has demonstrated her expertise in creating effective solutions, emphasizing both efficiency and sustainability. Through her Earthsongs Holistic Consulting, Dr. Melinda Connor offers a distinct blend of holistic principles with traditional business strategies, catering to a segment that values this integration. As you explore this edition, you’ll find an overview of their journeys and other notable individuals in the management consulting sphere. We look at the latest management consulting methodologies and each consultant’s impact in their respective field. We hope this serves as a valuable resource and provides a diverse perspective on management consulting. Editor-in-Chief, CEO Today CEO T O D A Y MANAGEMENT CONSULTING AWARDS 2023

FEATURED WINNERS Antonio Panico Business Coaching Italia Stephanie Koszyk Bain & Company, Inc Francisco Ortega McKinsey & Company 8 14 16

I am Antonio Panìco. I have gained great experience in the field of sales and marketing for national and international companies and I have held various positions in an important pharmaceutical multinational, passing in a short time from Informant to Training Manager. In the meantime I have studied and deepened topics such as self-help, leadership, persuasion, neuro-linguistic programming, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, with a scientific and rigorous approach. In 2012 I started my business as the first business coach in Italy; no one before me had dedicated to this specific subject. Then in 2018 I founded Business Coaching Italia, of which I am the CEO, which is the first company in Italy to deal with coaching for companies in a specialised way. Today it is a company that helps hundreds of Italian companies to structure their businesses and improve them through proven scientific processes, with a staff of about 22 coaches. Business Coaching Italia is committed to spreading the culture of coaching and helping companies thrive. The other line of business is the academy where we train entrepreneurs, professionals and managers to become business coaches. The BCI Method, which I created, is the result of years of studies, research and direct experience in the field with hundreds of entrepreneurs, managers and professionals. The theoretical pillar upon which the BCI Method is based is the self-efficacy theory developed by Professor Albert Bandura – the father of cognitive psychology, who in 2016 was awarded the National Medal of Science of the United States by President Barack Obama for the contribution that his theories on social learning have made to the resolution of important national issues. The coaching techniques upon which the BCI Method is based aim to achieve progressive victories for the coachee. Gaining progressive successes means, for the client, seeing his self-efficacy increase step by step – that is, his feeling of being able to concretely solve the problems that grip him in everyday life as an entrepreneur or manager or freelancer. I am also the author of two books: ‘Inarrestabile – la via dell’autoefficacia verso il tuo sviluppo personale’ and ‘Coach ricco e Coach povero’, of which the second edition has just been released in Italy. CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 8 -

CEO of Business Coaching Italia Can you tell us about the development of your academy? At the end of March 2023 we will conclude the edition started in the last quarter of 2021, during which we trained 41 new business coaches. In the last quarter of 2022, we launched the new edition of the course and selected 30 candidates. In fact, it is important for us to select candidates by choosing from those who have applied to join. At the presentation there were about 160 people, of whom we received 67 applications and selected 30 to enrol in the course. The goal is not only to train them, but also to collaborate with them by sharing the increasingly numerous customers that we are able to acquire. ntonio “We do whatever it takes to bring everyone to their goal.” Panico CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 9 -

Are there any recent client success stories that you can share with us? In fact, we have at least 130 success stories among our customers, because our method leads us to select only customers that we see from the beginning that we can help, and this leads us to always achieve interesting results. For example, we work with a lawyer who wanted help on marketing when he came to us, but we immediately understood that, although there were things to improve in his marketing, this lawyer was not exploiting his full potential. In fact, he did not see the possibility of creating a company around his profession, as he did not believe it possible to systematise his activities and delegate to more people. When we started, his law firm consisted of two people: himself and his wife, also a lawyer. Today he has a team of 54 lawyers and has grown by 2,000%. He helps people get out of situations of over-indebtedness and therefore his work in this historical moment is very important for Italian families. Beyond the economic success, the real success was the fact that this lawyer is bringing the issue of over-indebtedness of Italian families to parliament and is strongly influencing politics and public opinion in order to change things in our country. Another success story is that of Andrea and Francesca, who have a consulting company in real estate investments and also worked as professionals. In 2022 they saw their turnover grow by five times and this year we expect a doubling of turnover versus 2022. The organisation of the processes allowed them, among other things, to create a small team, freeing up their time and allowing them to also open a new line of business: a club deal of real estate investments that has just been created for the northern Italian market. Another story we are proud of is that of a company in the fashion world that contacted us again after the pandemic. In the past, we had already worked together to help them to grow from €8 million in revenue to €18 million. The COVID period had decreased turnover; 2022 was a time of transition and in March 2023 we started working again. After only one month of business coaching, they closed the month with a growth of 21.92% – very interesting, if you consider that we did a few hours of work together! Of all your achievements to date, which are you most proud of having accomplished? The success I am most proud of is that of the next client that we will attract and help grow. This is not rhetorical. I really believe in what we do and I strongly encourage my coaches to work hard to concretely help our customers. Perhaps this maniacal focus is the CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 10 -

reason why we have collected positive feedback from over 700 clients from 2021 to today. But apart from that, I am proud of my team, because creating a method, making it standard, teaching it to entrepreneurs and enlisting them to follow my personal mission is, I think, the greatest work I have ever done. Another success I have just achieved concerns a television broadcast, which I started recording in April for a Sky Italia channel. In this 12-episode broadcast we talk about leadership, how to create corporate culture, process organisation, sales, marketing and corporate finance. The goal is to give valuable content to TV entrepreneurs, which I think will also give a further boost to our brand here in Italy. In each episode I also invited some entrepreneurs, international managers and coaches of Olympic universities, who gave their point of view on the topics covered. Do you have any other projects in the works at the moment? What can we expect to see from you in 2023 and beyond? During 2022 we focused on assessing the state of small and medium-sized Italian companies, taking into account that with fewer than 10 employees, these companies that are true lifeblood of our production system have a considerably lower production capacity than other European member states; they generate an average added value of €30,000 per employee, compared to €46,000 in France and Germany and €35,000 in Europe in general. Increasing competitiveness and reducing the production gap with respect to large companies is the key to unlocking the vast potential, still unexpressed, of the Italian entrepreneurial fabric. Digitalisation is certainly necessary, but another aspect must be corrected: the poor managerial culture of our country. To try to concretely measure the current state of managerial preparation of small and medium-sized Italian companies, Business Coaching Italia is conducting a detailed study which currently involves 4.654 small and mediumsized Italian businesses, but which in the coming months will further expand. The ultimate goal is to create a national observatory, updated in real time, on the health of the Italian entrepreneurial fabric. The research was conducted by submitting to entrepreneurs a questionnaire that aims to measure how competent the entrepreneur himself feels on certain issues necessary for the health and prosperity of his company. There are five macro-areas: leadership, business organisation, sales, marketing and finance. The results collected so far tell of an entrepreneurial class that, in terms of finance, is still not very attentive to numbers; only 40% of respondents know in which month of the year they will reach the break-even point, fewer than 30% have a business plan written to achieve their budget and fewer than 23% calculate the ROI of their investments. In terms of company organisation, on the other hand, the most interesting data concerns the lack of defined procedures relating to both the tasks and the objectives of the individual employees. Only 27% claim to have written metrics to evaluate the work done by their employees and fewer than 40% rely on collaborators able to work independently. A healthy company also needs concrete, efficient and responsible leadership that is able to guide employees. Unfortunately, it emerges that only 25% of companies have clear and measurable objectives for their employees. The same evaluations of the work, carried out by half of the sample, are not tracked and disclosed. “In 2012 I started my business as the first business coach in Italy; no one before me had dedicated to this specific subject.” CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 11 -

These aspects, combined with the lack of incentive systems known and clear to all, contribute to making the employee less involved in the success of the company and today, in times of great resignation, in which it is increasingly the worker who chooses the company and not the other way around, it makes it very difficult for the company to retain the best resources. The issue of sales, which should be crucial for the economic stability of a company, has shown important shortcomings. The main one concerns the absence, for about 70% of the companies interviewed, of a written sales model, as well as individual scripts for each person in charge of the sale. Moreover, scripts for responding to objections are often missing, leaving the management of the problem at the mercy of the individual employee, something unthinkable for a company that wants to grow. The questionnaire, completed by over 1,500 entrepreneurs, clearly shows a low propensity to systematise and organise processes. Too often the company’s numbers are unknown and rarely monitored, with the risk that corrective measures for the business strategy are not taken in time. The lack of strong leadership also means that the weight of the company falls on the shoulders of the entrepreneur, undermining the sustainable scalability of the company. Who or what is it that inspires your work as a coach? I am inspired to be a business coach by my own clients. They are the ones who push me to keep working so hard. In fact, the birth of my company was inspired by my customers, so it is a choral project. When I started this business, I was alone. Business Coaching Italia was a brand in my head, and I was just Antonio Panico, business coach. ‘Business coach’ because I chose my positioning from the first moment. In fact, I could not do otherwise; it was my clients – entrepreneurs, professionals and managers – who expressly asked me. Then, with time, Business Coaching Italia srl was officially born in 2018. Again, it is not just a company; it is a choral project. The Business Coaching Italia team is made up of professionals, entrepreneurs and managers who have had successful results in their careers and who have chosen to train in my academy. There follows an 18-month-long journey during which they learn to know and apply my strategic and operational protocols: that is, everything that constitutes the BCI Method, and I will tell you... sometimes they know and apply it better than me! CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 12 -

The people who work with me and become part of the BCI project are professionals who are already successful in their field and who want to put themselves at the service of other entrepreneurs and managers to help them prosper. And so they decide to embark on this long journey together with us. My academy is not free. The economic and time commitment is important and involves sacrifices, but I read satisfaction in the eyes of every entrepreneur, professional or coach who participates. Satisfaction and a lot of enthusiasm. I always remember this quote from Steve Jobs: “Great things in business never come from one person but from a team of people.” I really believe it. Business coaches are increasingly in demand. Many companies and professionals have the extreme need for concrete help to reorganise the workforce, optimise processes and start measuring and analysing their numbers. We BCI business coaches do this every day. We guide entrepreneurs and managers towards their results, making them autonomous and helping them grow continuously over time. Every business coach in my team is able to do this because there is a method that can replicate successful results, because there is supervision and because we care about the objectives set by each of our coaches. As we always say, we do whatever it takes to bring everyone to their goal. CONTACT Antonio Panico Business Coaching Italia T: +39 342-876-4441 E: panicoantoniot@icloud.com www.businesscoachingitalia.com CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 13 -

ABOUT STEPHANIE KOSZYK Stephanie Koszyk is a member of our Global and Americas Retail practice. An expert in the online grocery sector and on our Advanced Retail Buying solution, Stephanie is also a core author of our annual Retail Holiday Newsletter. She regularly advises clients across sectors including food and beverage, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and general merchandise. She specializes in performance improvement, technology and organization design. Stephanie’s chief case work has included the IT transformation of a $14B US food service company and a store operations transformation program for a $14B US retailer. Apart from her client engagements, she is an active member of our Women at Bain program, local recruiting efforts and Toronto ESPRIT committee. Stephanie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was designated a Baker Scholar. She also earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Management from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a B.E.Sc. in Integrated Engineering from Western University. www.bain.com CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - CANADA - - 14 -

Bain Toronto has been helping companies in Canada—and beyond—since the office opened in 1989. Our teams hold deep expertise in the critical challenges and opportunities facing business leaders today. We work closely with Fortune 500, international and nonprofit organizations across all industries that Bain serves. Our clients use us as a trusted guide in discovering the pathways to results, and we measure our performance by their results. The fast-changing world of retail demands adaptability. And our retail consultants know what it takes to stay out front. We pioneered the omnichannel concept a decade ago, and since then have been at the forefront of defining the Future of Retail. We’re now entering the age of Retail Convergence, in which we see traditional incumbent retailers and digital natives battling for the same customers, talent, profit pools, and shareholders. This convergence—coupled with new waves of technology, proliferating consumer touchpoints, and table stakes sustainability agendas—accelerates the urgency for all players to transform their core retail and digital capabilities. We have a proven track record of delivering measurable results, including increased sales, reduced costs, improved customer experience, impactful innovation, and higher shareholder value. Leveraging our proprietary analytics, software platforms, and deep customer insights, we help leading retailers around the world use data, technology, and shopper trends to navigate uncertainty and leapfrog the competition. Practice Director at Bain & Company, Inc Koszyk ABOUT BAIN & COMPANY, INC tephanie CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - CANADA - - 15 -

ABOUT FRANCISCO ORTEGA Francisco C. Ortega is a senior partner at McKinsey and managing partner in Spanish-speaking Latin America. Francisco manages McKinsey’s work in Spanish Latin America and serves clients in global banking, insurance, digital, and operations. Since joining the firm in 2000, he has completed more than 240 projects with leading institutions in the region, primarily focused on digital, operations, customer experience, strategy, and M&A. He has also served as a guest lecturer at universities, national, and international seminars on these topics. Francisco holds a degree in business administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and an MBA from the University of Chicago with a focus on economic and finance, having received distinctions for his academic performance. He is a member of various boards and professional organizations and lives in Buenos Aires with his wife and their three children. www.mckinsey.com CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - COUNTRY - - 16 -

Senior Partner McKinsey & Company Since our formation in 1926, McKinsey has operated as a single global partnership united by a strong set of values, and the drive to deliver positive, enduring change. Today, we continue to combine bold strategies and transformative technologies to support organizations to innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next. From the C-suite to the front line, we partner with clients to help them innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next. McKinsey is Argentina’s leading managementconsulting firm. With more than 30 years of presence in Buenos Aires, our partner group is fully local, and our team embraces more than 100 top professionals from Argentina and across the world. We work with major companies in every sector of the economy, as well as with entrepreneurial start-ups and senior leaders in the public sector. Everything we do is focused on helping our clients achieve greater impact: shaping bold growth strategies, harnessing the power of digital, transforming operations, and bringing out the best in their people. Our values reflect the thinking of our founder, James O. McKinsey, and Marvin Bower, managing director from 1950 to 1967, who was a major force in shaping the firm. Our values have been updated in small ways to reflect the changing times. They inform both our long-term strategy as a firm and the way we serve our clients on a daily basis. We put aside one day a year to reflect as a group on what our values mean to both our work and our lives. rancisco C. Ortega ABOUT McKINSEY & COMPANY CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - COUNTRY - - 17 -

EUROPE Didier Longueville Progress Consulting Eric Vernhes AUREXIA Thomas Grözinger Avantalion Management Consulting Uwe Bergmann COSMO CONSULT AG Carlo Maria Capè Business Integration Partners S.p.A. Javier Urioste SDG Group Daniel Walker Walkerproject Joseph George Dufrain 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34

Didier Longueville For 25 years, Progress Consulting has been helping organizations meet strategic business challenges by developing human skills and transforming businesses. Our DNA is to help organizations to progress and transform both their structural dimensions (strategic positioning, organization, processes, talents, etc.) and their human dimensions (culture, behavior, attitudes, motivation, etc.). Unlike many large consultancy firms, Progress Consulting does not turn up at your business with offthe-shelf ideas and solutions. We don’t use standard scripts and tables. When working on-site, our experts try to blend in and immerse themselves in your organization. They adapt to the audience whether they’re talking to the management committee or an operational team working on the ground. Our corporate culture involves taking a humancentric approach with regard to all our actions — transparency, simplicity and respect — because the transformation of an organization is inseparable from the development of its people. Our Approach What has brought satisfaction to the organizations we have been helping for over 25 years? Our 400 + customers tell us it’s because we do not rely on preconceived bias or one-size-fits-all solutions. The lines in our logo represent the three professions that collaborate in your projects, i.e. training & coaching, management consulting, and talent management. We help you de-escalate tensions to see things more clearly thanks to specific courses of action. Changes in direction and transformations become more visible to the organization as a whole. We are constantly on the lookout for innovative solutions, whether through our technology watch or our monthly team discussions. How we like to work Systemic Approach To bring about a lasting transformation in an organization, we focus on its different dimensions taking a 360° approach. For example, changing the strategy without taking the corporate culture into account results in disappointing outcomes. Offering training when the structure is not adapted to new behaviors can even be counterproductive and demotivating! In practice, our project team will comprise different profiles (trainer, coach, consultant, recruiter, talent manager, digital learning expert, etc.) reporting to a project manager who guarantees the coherence of the overall approach. Our consultants are trained in personal development tools and our trainers are familiar with project management methods. Customer Orientation We believe that a joint construction approach is essential when it comes to helping our clients meet their challenges. We create a specific approach for your strategy meaning that targets, methodologies, project management and resources are implemented in line with your unique context. At Progress Consulting, we believe that a mission’s success depends on in-depth analysis and understanding to ensure that we that we speak the same language and are able to visualize where you want to be. Even for short missions we adopt a project approach, i.e. diagnosing the initial situation, making observations on the ground, measuring the expected results — we will guide you from A to Z! Founder & Managing Partner of Progress Consulting ABOUT PROGRESS CONSULTING CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - BELGIUM - - 20 -

www.progressconsulting.be ABOUT DIDIER LONGUEVILLE Didier Longueville has a degree in humanities from the University of Liège. He is in charge of business development at Progress Consulting. He is passionate about training and consulting, coaches a basketball team and is heavily involved in educating his three children – life experiences that have contributed greatly to his career. Qualifications • Huthwaite accreditation in behaviour analysis • Huthwaite accreditation in SPIN model and ASMS Persona • Psychological styles • Assertiveness training • INSEAD negotiation training • MBTI® diploma training • Certified coach CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - BELGIUM - - 21 -

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - 22 - - FRANCE - ABOUT ERIC VERNHES Graduated from Paris Dauphine University and formerly consultant at KPMG Peat Marwick, then manager at CSC in 2006. At AUREXIA since 2007, Eric is in charge of Retail and Insurance business lines. He is based in Paris office, growing AUREXIA Digital, Compliance & Program Management capacities. Also likes boat around small islands of Brittany, scubadiving and Burgundy wines. www.aurexia.com

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - 23 - - FRANCE - AUREXIA is a management consulting firm located in Paris, Nantes, London, Luxembourg and in Asia. We operate exclusively in the financial services and have a full coverage of the industry through our dedicated practices: Retail Banking, Insurance, Private Banking, Capital Markets, Transaction Banking, Securities Services, Asset Management, Finance, Risk, Compliance and Data Management. Founded in 2006, AUREXIA is committed to helping clients within the financial services industry achieve substantial and lasting improvements in their organizations. With consultants based in 5 different countries, we believe we can bring unparalled value and expertise to our clients globally. We help our clients to take on challenges involving the re-structuring of their business model and reshaping of operations and processes all within an increasingly restrictive regulatory framework. Our commitment to research and development such as our Aurexia Institute supports these objectives. We continue to further develop our capabilities in digital transformation, setting up our very own digital AUREXIA FINLAB which manages all dimensions of our clients’ needs enriched with our digital insights and those of external fintechs to help provide clients with facts. AUREXIA SUSTAINABLE and OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE are our new labels dedicated to support our clients with their initiatives and challenges in their sustainability journey and/or transformation program. Our values As an international company, we set high standards of our performance and ethical behaviours. Our 6 core values indicate how we promote respect, teamwork and professionalism within our organization. RESPECT, between juniors and seniors, men and women, regardless of nationalities. TEAM SPIRIT, a team is stronger more than the sum of its parts. KNOWLEDGE SHARING, collaborate and share your learnings with all team members, we bring out the best in each other. BUSINESS EXPERTISE, we broaden our skill and experiences through the work we do, and continue to forge this strong business culture within the firm. QUALITY, providing professional and technical excellence to our clients is at the root of what we do , we believe that every project is an opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with our clients. INNOVATION, by continually improving our abilities, we create the opportunity to bring the latest digital insights to our client. Our Insurance Expertise Insurance and Re-insurance companies are facing new business challenges, new risks, new clients behaviours and new regulations, on all the scope of business lines: life insurance, property and casualty, health, reinsurance. Listed below are some of your new challenges: Adapt distribution channels to better meet customer expectations (automated and reactive subscription and claims processing) Improve customer loyalty with client journey approach, new products (such as cyber-risk insurance, mutual referred funds…), digital marketing Eric Vernhes Co-Founder of AUREXIA ABOUT AUREXIA

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - GERMANY - - 24 - Thomas Grözinger We are a high-performance, independent, expert consulting company characterised by years of international, practical experience and supported by a strong team of talented consultants. Together with our customers and partners, we master the constantly evolving challenges arising in the areas of business expansion, business transformation and business optimization. In our chosen focus sectors – Automotive Finance & Mobility and Industry – we combine relevant expertise, project experience and profound methodological competence. We support you from the visualization to the realization of your ideas and ambitions within your chosen business sector. We pursue a solution-oriented and sustainable consulting approach by combining operational experience and a proven approach, with innovative, flexible and creative thinking. We add value with honest and effective consultancy, the application of continuously high standards, and the implementation of constructive and practical solutions. For us and for you, this provides the basis for a valued and long-term partnership. The current challenges for industry are as diverse as they are complex. Cost pressure on companies is steadily increasing, and not just the usual market and customer commercial constraints. Rising manufacturing costs, both raw materials and energy, as well as the globally grim economic situation, are greatly increasing the burden on business. In specific sectors, this problem is further intensified by political and legislative hurdles. Strategic decisions to outsource production steps to suppliers or offshore seem ever more often to be reaching their limits; not only are rising transportation costs stressing the global supply chain, but so too are quality defects, production disruptions and concerns regarding the associated environmental impact. In addition, our industry customers are facing a new definition of the organization of work; “New Work” is becoming a guideline of the process design of the future. And with more rapid staff turnover, a shortage of skilled human resources and demographic change, preserving knowledge in industry is becoming of critical importance. Successful companies of the future will be those who deliver services tailored to the individual needs of the customer, and still at the lowest possible cost and in the shortest possible time. Businesses have to succeed in increasing their speed of action and reaction and continuously align their processes to the requirements of the market. All processes in the entire value chain must be optimized right across the company’s landscape and all designed to minimize waste. And the administrative and support areas of the enterprise must also search for ways to improve productivity and efficiency. The services business grows in significance. The ability to develop and implement hybrid service bundles and even holistic system approaches – for example, from wind, solar and storage solutions in the renewable energy market – is becoming decisive for success. Avantalion supports and guides the transformation of its industry customers from the conception to the successful implementation of change. The solutions we develop are individually tailored to the business need. A focus on operational excellence characterizes all the transformation projects we conduct. We use the principles, methods and tools of Lean Management to design processes with minimal waste and to establish a culture of continuous improvement. We ensure the sustainable success of the improvement projects with the help of effective project management and demandoriented change management. Partner of Avantalion Management Consulting ABOUT AVANTALION MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - GERMANY - - 25 - www.avantalion.de ABOUT THOMAS GRÖZINGER Thomas has over 15 years of international experience in the roles of project manager and executive and managing director in the mechanical engineering and pharmaceutical industry. After holding various executive positions in a globally operating mechanical engineering group as well as establishing and managing a pharmaceutical company in the area of pharmaceutical packaging, he joined Avantalion Consulting in 2014. He is primarily specialized in the areas of business expansion, transformation projects and post-merger integration with focus on wind power industry, pharmaceutical industry and mechanical engineering.

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - GERMANY - - 26 - ABOUT UWE BERGMANN Uwe Bergmann is founder and CEO of COSMO CONSULT AG (Holding). Besides the overall business of the COSMO CONSULT Group, he is responsible for Business Development, Marketing and Human Resources. A graduate in business administration, he initially studied mechanical engineering and later economics in Berlin. After his degree, he moved into company software at Siemens Nixdorf, where he was responsible for marketing industry software in the manufacturing and subcontracting sectors. At this time, he was already gaining initial experience with the business software NAVISION (later Microsoft Dynamics NAV). COSMO CONSULT GmbH was founded in Münster in 1996, and Uwe Bergmann expanded his business activities in the following year by establishing COSMO CONSULT GmbH in Berlin, which from then on acted as a solution centre for the Navision Financials business software. Uwe Bergmann believes in a corporate culture based on values, where people are the focus. He thinks the importance of both fun and passion cannot be underestimated as important factors for success. www.cosmoconsult.com

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - GERMANY - - 27 - For more than 25 years we have been bringing business processes and IT structures up to date by implementing and supporting business solutions. In our digital transformation projects we use the technologies that best suit the respective project’s requirements. With our offices in Germany, Europe and Latin America and our global network of partners, we are able to support and implement IT and digital transformation projects worldwide. Our aim is to make sure digital processes, corporate culture and ways of working all fit together. We know that the challenges of digital transformation lie primarily in the area of organization, so we support you with that, too. Our Business Design consulting division helps you take charge of the digital transformation process and creates the conditions necessary for you to continue to be successful in the future. Our business designers help you develop digital strategies, set up new processes and get your team excited about change. This is part of our holistic approach that gives equal consideration to people, organization and digital technologies. After all, digital transformation is much more than “just” technology. Our solutions meet all the requirements of small and medium-sized companies, but we are also at home in the big data world of large ones. The list of our customers reflects the entire spectrum of the economy: from hip start-ups in the e-commerce scene to traditional industrial, trade and service companies to large international corporations. Integrated Business and IT Consulting The executives of our large and SME customers are constantly confronted with strategic and operational challenges – no matter whether they are dealing with the implementation of new business requirements, the optimisation of operating costs or the improvement of economic transparency. We are familiar with these topics thanks to our years of experience in business, industrial sectors and IT. Our experienced integrated it and business consultants provide support reliably and quickly. They provide pragmatic, convincing standard solutions or optimised, custom concepts depending on requirements. Our flexible and process-related methods can be adjusted to the size and complexity of any project. We support our customers comprehensively and effectively with our extensive range of consulting services. Our holistic mindset enables us to create tangible added value through comprehensive consultation during process optimisation. We also provide support during the introduction of complex, industry-specific IT systems such as ERP, CRM, business intelligence, document management and the creation of complete digital, Industry 4.0 solutions. Our business consultants also provide assistance in higher-level areas such as financial management, risk management or change management. Our main focus is on achieving ideal solutions, efficient business processes and a high level of customer satisfaction. Uwe Bergmann CEO of COSMO CONSULT AG ABOUT COSMO CONSULT AG

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 28 - FIRM PROFILE Bip is the international consultancy firm of the 21st century. Free from a technological legacy that would force us to impose complex products and skills that no one needs anymore. Free from a professional legacy that separates strategy from execution. Free from a cultural legacy that rewards more and longer over faster and better. Free to dare. We make sense and make things. We’re doers, we are makers, we are not Power Point writers.. Everything we do is aimed at affecting a material change within a defined timeline, and we combine thoughts and actions to ensure it has the greatest impact in the real world. We aim to make our clients independent. All our projects have a dual objective: to deliver against an outcome, and to equip our clients to keep the activity running on their own. It offers them greater value, and it allows us to focus on where we can make the greatest difference next. We don’t just have experience in many industries, we have experience across them. We know which industries are going to collide, and how they can learn from very similar and very different challenges to forge their own path ahead, so we can give you the answers to the questions you’ve been asking yourself, and those you haven’t. www.bip-group.com

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - ITALY - - 29 - Carlo Capè was born in Milan in 1961 and is Bip Co-Founder and CEO. After a degree in Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano in 1987, he undertook an Executive Degree at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Boston in 1992. In 1987 he began working as business management consultant for Italian and European companies in logistics and reengineering projects in the Manufacturing, Telecom and Utilities sectors. Moving to Deloitte in 2001, he was the partner responsible for the Oil & Gas Industry in the EU. Since 2003 he has been involved in the liberalisation, privatisation and regulation processes of the Energy & Utility sector and has cooperated with regulators, authorities and big industrial groups in defining rules, new business models and in market development. In the same year he decided to found, with five other partners, Bip – Business Integration Partners of which he has been CEO since the start. He is co-author of the book “When the made in Italy is stronger than the crisis: lesson learnt” published in 2015 by Mc Graw Hill in partnership with Politecnico di Milano and “Energy Management: value chain, business models, management systems and regulations” published in 2011 by Gruppo Il Sole 24 Ore. He is also author of several articles on Organisation and Management including: “Dynamic Manufacturing – Appendix to the Italian edition” – Hayes, Wheelwright, Clark (IPSOA); “Chief Information Officer: the challenge of pragmatic innovation ” – Capè, Motta, Troiani (Il Sole 24 Ore); “Chief Information Officer – How to reconcile innovation and budget” – Capè, Motta, Troiani (Development & Organisation). For many years he has been a speaker at the Energy Summit and other events in the sector thanks to his expertise in the Energy field. He is also a member of the board of MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Master in Energy Management. From 2014 to 2018 he has been the Board President of Assoconsult, (the association of Confindustria consulting firms), and he was the coordinator of the working group which produced the innovative Social responsibility code of ethics for consultants, approved in March 2013. Carlo Maria Capè CEO of Business Integration Partners S.p.A. ABOUT CARLO MARIA CAPÈ “Since 2003, Carlo has been involved in the liberalisation, privatisation and regulation processes of the Energy & Utility sector.”

Javier Urioste SDG Group is a global management consulting firm, having a leading vision in the practices of Business Analytics, Corporate Performance Management and Advanced Business Architectures. The SDG Group foundation dates back to 1994. Since the first day, the business community has identified SDG as a fervent laboratory for Innovation and Development for planning and controlling methodologies and practices, as well as an emerging consulting firm focused on the design and implementation of Decision Support Systems. SDG Group committed to becoming the leader in providing Business Analytics expertise through a combination of management consulting capabilities and IT skills. This strategy was successfully executed, and new business locations were opened worldwide: Milan, Barcelona, Verona, London, Madrid, Rome, Logrono, New York, Paris, Lisbon, Cairo, Hamburg, Florence, Munich, Alger, Bogotà and Bruxelles. The SDG Group services and solutions have been progressively enriched with Social Intelligence Practices, Big Data Architecture, the most innovative Business Analytics as well as Digital Transformation Roadmaps. Our values CLIENTS We help our clients make distinctive, lasting and substantial improvements. CLIENT SUCCESS We are committed to our clients’ success as the first priority in our projects. We Work together with our clients to achieve substantial improvements that Last. We promote a framework of trust and long-term commitment to our customers, which is the foundation of a solid relationship of “partnership”. SUSTAINED PROFITABILITY We manage both our resources and those of our clients in a cost efficient way. We seek to maintain the maximum productivity and performance in our projects. We strive to maintain long term profitability. INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP We always seek initiatives to improve services, technologies and solutions that innovate our value proposition constantly. We lead our market with innovation. We look for people with an entrepreneurial spirit and recognize their potential of making a difference. PEOPLE We attract, develop and retain exceptional people. CULTURE We are an honest, dedicated and committed team. Responsible leadership We lead with responsibility and willingness to cooperate. We train and build teams by setting an example. We respect our people. We help and are committed to being part of the professional development and success of our sdg consultants. CEO of SDG Group ABOUT SDG GROUP CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - SPAIN - - 30 -

www.sdggroup.com ABOUT JAVIER URIOSTE Javier leads SDG Group in Spain and Portugal overseeing the strategic development that empowers global leaders in these markets to become successful data-driven enterprises. Since joining SDG Group in 1998, with an extensive management and leadership experience, he played a key role in the expansion and growth of SDG Group in Spain, Portugal and the United States. Since 2004, he is part of the SDG Group Board of Directors at a Corporate level. Javier is also Advisor of UVE Solutions, a company dedicated to creating dedicated business solutions for the Consumer Products Industry and part of the Advisory Board for Datumize, an innovation start-up dedicated to capture Dark Data, which empowers Big Data and Advanced Analytics strategies. Before joining SDG Group, Javier developed his professional career in the Strategic Consulting area at McKinsey Spain, and in the IT Consulting area at Ross Systems (Abast). CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - SPAIN - - 31 -

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - 32 - - SWITZERLAND - Daniel Walker The walkerproject team is contributing to the transformation of the healthcare system. Through walkerproject’s experience and methods, change processes in healthcare organizations are accelerated and broadly supported. The participative way of working includes listening, inquiring, understanding, inspiring, motivating, empowering, accompanying and questioning. This inspires joy in working with walkerproject and promotes readiness for change. Success comes from the combination of inspiration and impact. Inspiration. The consultants of walkerproject support people in expert organizations to develop and implement innovative solutions. Impact. The team of walkerproject orchestrates change processes with tact and sensitivity. Healthcare organisations are facing major changes. Walkerproject supports companies in their transformation. In health care, the patient always comes first—keeping this promise day after day can be challenging. We support our customers in consistently providing care at all levels to their patients. Depending on the current situation, the change process starts with a different focus. Does the organisation need to define overriding goals, clarify priorities or form alliances? Does the organization attempt to optimise daily work processes or inter-professional interaction? Is there a construction project taking place that will allow the company to meet its maximum capacity? Together with our customers, we work to make healthcare a little bit better every day, improving care for patients. Our Services Strategy and M&A Structural change is in full swing. A focused strategy creates clarity and sets priorities across all hierarchical levels. Successful cooperation can fundamentally change the market structure. Experience, expertise and tact are required in the development and implementation. In strategy and M&A projects, walkerproject always concentrates on the big picture and patient needs. Hospital Planning A construction project is a unique opportunity to set the course for the future and to bring about fundamental changes. At the same time, large construction projects are associated with considerable risks. We enable our customers to build what they aim to, guiding them through the entire process from conceptualisation and spatial design to commissioning. An innovative set of methods and continuous involvement of all stakeholder groups from nursing staff to architects prevent unnecessary difficulties down the road and create healthcare buildings that are ready for the future. Lean Healthcare Successful lean transformations have a shared core result—organisational resilience. Overall, this stable and agile operating system is the optimal basis for navigating current trends, such as digitalisation, outpatient care and the revolution in the care landscape. The path to creating and sustaining a lean organisation is challenging. Our team at walkerproject designs the change process, contributes specialised knowledge and thus helps customers to realise sustainable improvements in ongoing operations. Founder of walkerproject ABOUT WALKERPROJECT

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - 33 - - SWITZERLAND - www.walkerproject.com ABOUT DANIEL WALKER ‘Bringing energy into the system’ is one of the principles of Daniel Walker’s work. When he’s on board, nothing can stop the development and implementation of new ideas. There is a long list of projects that have set new standards. Daniel Walker is passionate about innovation in the healthcare sector that will benefit patients. He is motivated by patients benefiting from safer medicine and improved service. After completing his psychology degree, Daniel Walker was a Project Manager at St Gallen University before founding walkerproject in 1992. In 1999, he completed the Executive MBA program ‘Business Engineering’ at St.Gallen University, which is comparable to industrial engineering in the US. Daniel Walker published “Lean Hospital – The Hospital of the Future” in 2015. He is the lead author of “The Emergency Flow Concept: Patient First”, which set new standards in Swiss emergency departments. He also lectures at various universities and healthcare education facilities.

CEO Today Management Consulting Awards 2023 - UNITED KINGDOM - - 34 - ABOUT JOSEPH GEORGE Joseph is responsible for achieving our vision and ambitions through day-to-day management, direction, growth and development of all functions of the business and leading the consulting team across all our locations. Joseph has extensive experience in technology consulting and in delivering business-led regulatory, change and transformation projects having managed and delivered successful outcomes for dozens of clients globally. He is an Advisory Board Member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence and is a thought leader invited to speak at forums/events/student networks. Joseph brings significant management consulting and program delivery experience from his career at Deloitte Consulting and strong technology engineering capability from his time at Infosys Limited and beyond. He holds multiple qualifications in Project Management and is a Management Accountant (ACMA CGMA) as well as holding degrees in Engineering and a Masters in Operations Management. www.dufrain.co.uk

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz