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Sunday, November 22, 2009
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volume 1
issue 2
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“I have been an independent full-time for only eight months, although I have been in consulting in one form or another for 20 years. If my experience remains as good as this one, being an a-connect IP could be the cornerstone of my career going forward.” —M.E.B., IP since 2005
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Independent Voice
10 Questions for IP Ian Mombru
by Bernhard Stadler
 Ian is one of our media and entertainment industry experts and joined the a-connect pool almost exactly one year ago. Spanish by citizenship, he started his career at McKinsey & Company in Los Angeles in 1991. After taking a two-year break for his MBA at INSEAD and an assignment for an international firm of advisors to financial institutions, he returned to McKinsey and stayed as a practice expert in the global media & entertainment practice until 2002, when he took the decision to start up his own consultancy in the UK.
Ian is currently working on his first a-connect project, which brought him to a media client based in Switzerland. But travel between his home base London and Switzerland doesn’t seem to be enough “air time” for Ian – who also commutes between London and Shanghai, where his wife and two children live. Who knows, maybe his next a-connect project will bring him to South America?
a-connect Talent Partner Bernhard Stadler caught up with Ian recently between flights.
1. Can you tell us something about the project you are currently working on?
I’m currently working on a strategy review for a Swiss media group. Given my background as a media consultant, I’ve stepped in to support the internal business development team with project and approach structuring, analysis, strategy development, and my media industry expertise. It has been a really exciting project for me so far, and we’re just about to launch the next phase, where we’ll detail out the growth strategies and establish the implementation plans.
2. How are a-connect projects different from projects you acquire on your own?
a-connect allows me to do project work for companies outside of my personal network. As an IP you’re usually well connected in a certain city or country, but I would not have gotten the project that I’m currently doing in Switzerland on my own. In addition, a-connect can provide me with project work where more than one person or skill-set is required.
3. What is the biggest value an IP can bring to a client, in particular compared to traditional consulting companies?
The biggest value that a-connect’s IPs bring is the possibility for the client to “cherry pick” individuals and match them exactly with their business requirements. Traditional consulting companies are usually good at matching senior people, but they have difficulties to do so with more junior consultants. This flexibility also allows clients to get more senior people, on average, from a-connect than through traditional consulting companies. Last, IPs generally have both consulting and line management experience, which is a mix clients really appreciate.
4. How did you find out about a-connect and when did you join the pool?
I joined the a-connect pool almost exactly one year ago, after having come across an a-connect ad on the McKinsey alumni Web site. When looking at the a-connect Web site, I found out that I worked with one of the founders, Nils Hagander, on a project in the past when I was still working at McKinsey. So I picked up the phone and called him to get to know more about the firm. A month later I was a member of the pool.
5. What has your relationship to a-connect been like so far?
There have been very regular points of contact, both invitations to social networking events with other IPs and project inquiries. Unfortunately, I have not been able to join any of those events so far, but I feel I have always remained part of the network. [Editor’s note: just recently Ian was able to attend a dinner held by a-connect for our London-based IPs, and a great time was had by all!] And finally, after three or four project opportunities which I had to turn down due to other engagements, it worked out that I was able to do the media project with a-connect in Switzerland.
6. How long have you been independent? And why did you become independent?
I have been independent for roughly four years now. Before that I was working as a specialist in McKinsey’s media practice, but when the media work dried up a bit at McKinsey in 2002, I was looking for a new challenge, and found it by becoming independent. Today, I enjoy all the bright aspects of being an IP: the personal ownership for the client relationship, the flexibility to decide myself which projects I want to do (which has also allowed me to do some very interesting project work for smaller companies), and finally the excitement of the financial upside, which depends entirely on my own performance.
7. What are the challenges of being independent?
As an IP you often struggle between doing interesting project work and keeping your pipeline filled. You simply have less leverage to create future opportunities. You generally also don’t have a peer group around you and a sounding board where you could discuss difficult recommendations or client situations. a-connect and its talent partners really add value in that respect.
8. What are your hobbies outside work?
I have spent most of my free time on airplanes, commuting between project locations, my home base in London, and my family who lives in Shanghai. When I am there, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our kids. Exploring the very lively restaurant scene of the city is another hobby of mine. After three exciting years in China our family is now about to move back to the UK.
9. How do you stay fresh and up-to-date? What sources can help you continuously renew yourself?
I keep a daily eye on the industry news and read trade publications on a regular basis. I also reach out to close former clients to discuss interesting new topics. Finally, I attend the major industry conferences every year. The nice thing about the two last activities is that you can combine your intellectual renewal with marketing yourself.
10. Can you recommend an interesting book you’ve recently read to other IPs?
I have just read "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference”, by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s an excellent description of what we have recently seen in the media/Internet space, but also of what we experience in many aspects of everyday life. Gladwell has a great ability to package the obvious into a neat and clear framework.
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