Bain & Company partner Philippe De Backer joins Korn Ferry Hay Group
Philippe De Backer, a 25 year veteran of Bain & Company, has left the strategy consultancy to join the Korn Ferry Hay Group in Dubai.
De Backer most recently served as Partner in the firm’s Financial Services practice, overseeing several strategic clients in the Middle East, as well as being responsible for intellectual capital and senior talent development. The experienced consultant joined Bain & Company in the Boston office in 1992, and later on played an instrumental role in co-founding the Brussels and Amsterdam offices. In addition, De Backer spearheaded the creation and development of the European Financial Service Practice and later moved to the Paris office (2004) to develop Bain’s presence in the French consulting market, an industry today valued at around €4.1 billion.
In March 2010, De Backer moved to the Dubai office to grow Bain’s Financial Services activities in the broader Middle East region – where he additionally co-led the global Financial Services practice until July 2015.
Prior to working for Bain, De Backer was Worldwide Managing Partner of the Carre, Orban & Partners, a consultancy acquired by Korn-Ferry in 1993, and before that, CEO of ADB, an electronics company part of the Siemens Group. De Backer’s areas of focus range from corporate strategy, business unit strategy, growth strategy and operations improvement to organisational structure.
He brings more than 20 years of expertise in financial services, insurance and capital markets to his new Senior Client Partner role at Korn Ferry Hay Group, the HR consultancy arm of Korn Ferry. The Korn Ferry Hay Group was established two years ago when Korn Ferry acquired Hay Group for a fee of $452 million.
Commenting on the addition, Mark Arian, CEO of Korn Ferry Hay Group – he succeeded Steve Kaye in Q2 this year – said, “Philippe brings impeccable credentials to our firm. He is an advisor to CEOs and boards worldwide and is widely regarded for his deep financial services and corporate strategy expertise. His entrepreneurial tenacity, relationship-oriented approach and keen understanding of the talent and leadership issues impacting global organisations will be an invaluable asset as we continue to expand our reach and solutions.”
Earlier this year Karen Jamesley, a former Morgan Stanley executive, joined Korn Ferry Hay Group as a Senior Client Partner in the firm’s Executive Pay & Governance practice.
