Elixirr further expands US team with three senior executives
Elixirr has prepared to enter a new stage of growth, with the hiring of three senior executives to its rapidly developing American outfit. Elixirr is one of the fastest-growing consulting firms in the US, and the firm will hope that the addition of Richard Spitzer (Non-Executive Director), Ed Robinson (Associate Partner), Rich Kerschner (Senior Advisor) will further consolidate its position as such.
In 2015, the year Elix-IRR rebranded as Elixirr, the consultancy announced that it would make the journey across the Atlantic to open for business in the United States, opening an innovation hub in the world renowned Silicon Valley. Since then, the firm’s presence in the US has gone from strength to strength, building a strong client base across the country, and further expanding its extensive network of VCs, startups, and entrepreneurs, as the US market responded extremely positively to the different approach taken by the British group.
As Elixirr’s reputation continued to grow, it was even named one of the world’s top 20 outsourcing consulting firms by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. More recently, this has seen the consultancy able to continue expanding its US division with new hires with relative ease, in spite of a tightening global market for high-skilled workers.
In 2016, Eric Rich, one of the founding Partners of Infosys, joined Elixirr to lead the expansion of their business into the US. Last year, he was joined at the firm’s practice in Silicon Valley by former Capgemini Executive Vice President Rob Holland. Now, Elixirr, which is currently one of the most rapidly growing management consultancies in Europe, has continued its expansion of the American outfit, with three new hires, as Richard Spitzer, Ed Robinson and Rich Kerschner have joined their fast-growing team as senior leaders.
Growing team
Richard Spitzer leads technology-enabled, enterprise transformations in the capital-intensive sectors of consumer durables and industrials. He acts both as a strategic advisor and private equity investor in his capacity as Managing Partner for Spitzer Group. Spitzer built his expertise in large-scale transformations throughout his recognised management consulting career at Booz-Allen, A.T. Kearney, and most recently at Accenture where he was global head of automotive and industrials. Now, as a Non-Executive Partner, Spitzer will lead Elixirr’s strategic expansion into the automotive and industrial industries, concentrating on disruptive transformations enabled by connected ecosystems.
Commenting on the changing environment Elixirr’s clients face, Spitzer said, “Disruptive, rapid change facing companies across all verticals in the US and globally has forced the high value consulting world to redefine itself. Elixirr embodies what I know the market now dictates; innovative thinking, challenging status-quo behaviours, and pushing the envelope for results at speed. No more “meetings to have meetings to have meetings”, or “6-month diagnostics”, and the like. Not surprisingly, clients are responding quite positively to the differentiated approach of Elixirr, and I’m pleased to support the team as it accelerates its impact in the US and global markets.”
Ed Robinson, meanwhile, boasts a long and successful track record in the automotive industry, having established his own advisory firm last year. Prior to this, he was President and CEO of Midwestern Auto Group, following an 11 year stint as President and CEO of BMW Financial Services for the Americas Region. Robinson began professional life at BMW in 1979, and his time there also included tenures as President and CEO of BMW Canada, and COO of BMW of North America, the US sales subsidiary. Based in New York, he will now work to enhance Elixirr’s automotive and financial services offerings with the depth of his expertise across both industries as an Associate Partner.
Remarking on the period of transformation businesses currently face, Robinson said, “Every industry is going through a period of significant transformation. There is broad awareness about the kind taking place in the financial services industry, but perhaps less so in the automotive space where Elixirr is poised to make a real impact. I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to help realise the firm’s ambitions, where its presence and the results of their work is certainly being noticed by some major players.”
Rich Kerschner, the final addition to Elixirr’s team, is an experienced lawyer, strategist and operating executive. He specialises in focusing on growing and repositioning financial services and technology businesses within rapidly evolving environments, and arrives at Elixirr from Nex Group (formerly ICAP). Kerschner has held leadership roles in market dominant as well as disruptive companies within the financial technology, trading venues, market utilities, futures exchanges, and mobile communications sectors. His depth of financial services expertise will add significant strength to Elixirr’s US business, specifically in Fintech and Capital Markets, as a Senior Advisor.
Speaking on the state of play at Elixirr upon his arrival, Kerschner said, “2018 is set to be an incredibly exciting year for Elixirr. The firm is growing fast, with a great roster of new and continuing clients. The amazing projects, initiatives and businesses that they’re building is what makes them a unique firm. It is Elixirr’s combination of a credible, established consulting presence, vibrant hunger of a start-up, and the courage to think creatively about partnering with clients on actual results instead of just advice, that makes them truly special. I’m looking forward to working closely with the team to continue this growth story.”
In a release regarding the trio of arrivals, Stephen Newton, Founder and Managing Partner at Elixirr, stated, “The combined strength of industry knowledge Richard, Rich and Ed bring to Elixirr is the reason I know they’ll achieve some amazing things with our team and our clients. I’m honored to have them all on board as we continue to build this business together.”
