Rick Eagar Chief Innovation Officer of Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little has appointed Rick Eagar as its first ever Chief Innovation Officer. The UK-based partner will also lead the consultancy’s Technology & Innovation Management (TIM) Practice.
Rick Eagar has over 26 years of experience in consulting and the industry. Following nearly a decade at Shell, he joined Arthur D. Little in 1989. At the management consultancy Eagar has been a Director and Partner for more than 18 years, focusing on technology and innovation management for clients across a range of industries. Between 2004 and 2007 Eagar led Arthur D. Little’s UK operations, and most recently he headed the TIM practice and Public Sector team in the UK, as well as serving as Chief Editor of Prism, the firm’s management journal.
In his new role as Chief Innovation Officer Eagar will work with the firm’s leaders and experts across the globe to develop the next generation of innovative and impactful client offerings. The creation of the new role is according to the consultancy part of two pillars. It reflects Arthur D. Little’s ambitious growth trajectory – since its management buyout from Altran in January 2012 the firm has under the leadership of Ignacio García Alves promoted or hired over 35 Partners, and grown its global footprint to over 1,000 employees in 20+ countries across all five continents. In 2015 the consultancy has seen its growth accelerate, with multiple offices opened and 14 Partners joining the leadership ranks.
The creation of the new role also reflects the importance of the its ‘Anticipate – Innovate – Transform’ focus says the firm, a strategic pillar aimed at helping clients “grow and prosper in today’s rapidly changing business environment”. With a dedicate role in place, Arthur D. Little expects to advance its capacity to support innovation-centered transformations, across the offering from strategy to implementation.
Commenting on his appointment, Eagar says he “couldn’t be happier to take this new role at a time when Arthur D. Little is growing rapidly across the world,” adding “it is an honour to lead our collective efforts in building still further on our passion and expertise, making sure that innovation stays firmly at the heart of all of our consulting activities as we go forward.”
Technology & Innovation Management
In addition to his CIO role, Eagar has also been named global head of the TIM Practice, one of Arthur D. Little’s eight functional Practices. Other management team members of the TIM unit are Carl Bate and Greg Smith (UK), John Brennan (US), Fabian Dömer and Volker Pfirsching (Germany), Yusuke Harada (Japan), Michael Kolk (Netherlands), Frederik van Oene (Belgium) and Daniel Roos (Sweden).
Earlier this year, Consultancy.uk featured a study by Arthur D. Little’s TIM Practice, which highlighted eight imperatives for organising Research & Development to drive innovation.
