L.E.K. Consulting elects Clay Heskett as Global Managing Partner
International advisory firm L.E.K. Consulting has elected Clay Heskett as its new global head. Heskett will succeed Stuart Jackson as Global Managing Partner, after he served three terms in the role.
Founded in 1983, L.E.K. Consulting employs more than 1,600 professionals across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. As one of the leading strategy consulting firms in the UK, it uses deep industry expertise and rigorous analysis to help business leaders achieve practical results.
Clay Heskett arrived at the company in 2005, and in the intervening 16 years, he has been Head of L.E.K.’s European Life Sciences practice, and Head of its Europe region, based in London. He takes on the position of Global Managing Partner, as L.E.K. picking up heightened demand following the coronavirus pandemic. According to outgoing Global Managing Partner Stuart Jackson, the crisis “underlined the importance of the strategic advice that L.E.K. delivers,” and as the change, disruption and uncertainty wrought by the last two years looks set to continue, the company is “in greater demand than ever, around the globe.”
Speaking on the election of Heskett by L.E.K. Partners, Jackson added, “I am delighted to congratulate Clay Heskett on being elected… as more businesses seek our insights. While Clay’s expertise in the life sciences business – from cell and gene therapy to digital therapeutics and game-changing M&A transactions – is clear from his prodigious experience with our clients, I also know that he is keenly attuned to where and how leaders, in a spectrum of industries, have come to rely on us as complexity continues to define the business environment and decision making.”
Jackson noted that the hope is now that Heskett can help guide L.E.K.’s growth “to $1 billion in revenue and beyond.” He has held the leading role himself since 2013, and under his stewardship, the firm has already experienced significant growth in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific in recent years. Following his three terms as Global Managing Partner, Jackson will remain as a Partner with L.E.K.
Previous experience
Prior to life with L.E.K., Heskett worked as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. He spent five years with the MBB strategy giant, and also served as a Project Leader during that period. He previously worked in technology development for Los Alamos National Laboratory, while he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a B.A. in economics from the University of Virginia.
Heskett reflected on his new job, “I am beyond honoured to have been elected to the Global Managing Partner role. I will step into it with enthusiasm and confidence — because I know that what makes L.E.K. uniquely able to serve clients is our people, whose intelligence, commitment to doing the best work and collaborative nature make them the best in our industry.”
Looking ahead, the new L.E.K. chief added that he was excited about “the growth and challenges ahead” for the firm. Pointing to the company’s “always-evolving strategy and analytic capabilities,” he asserted that L.E.K. “will be able to serve even more business leaders, in more places, and show them how valuable our guidance can be.”
Demonstrating this growing offering, in August, L.E.K. launched a new sustainability centre. The offering draws together the expertise, best practices and strategic insights necessary to support clients as they address the challenges that sustainability brings.
