2 JANUARY 2016 Consulting®
In the Spring of 2007, when I began
my role of Editor-in-Chief of
Consut-ling magazine, the economy was in a
very good place. We were coming off
several years of healthy growth and
it seemed like the party would go on
forever. As with real-life parties, it
didn’t. And the hangover was much
worse than we could’ve anticipated.
And the clean up took a lot longer, too. So, here we are in 2016
and I’m thrilled to report that happy days are here again!
The long, slow slog back is finally complete. Firms are back
in the race and now willing and able to put the pedal to the
metal. Yes, after a few years coasting along, consulting firms
are living life in the fast lane.
For sure, we’ve been heading in this direction for a few
years now, but this year there’s no denying that confidence,
based on the results of our annual Executive Outlook survey
and exclusive interviews with
15 firm leaders, is higher than
it’s been in nearly a decade. For
the first time in a long time, executives are using words like
“optimistic,” “successful,” “
momentum,” “extraordinary” and
“double-digit growth.” Some firm leaders are even reporting
growth north of 20 percent. And perhaps even more telling, the
“cautiously optimistic” mantra that seemed to punctuate nearly
all of previous years’ comments are now few and far between.
That’s not to say there are no speed traps or hazards on this
super highway. Economists are quick to point out that we’re
still stuck in a slow growth environment and will be for some
time. For the foreseeable future, the global economy will have
to settle for 2 percent to 3 percent growth. And Europe and
China’s economic troubles will continue to have a ripple effect. But here’s the good news: Firm leaders are seeing no indications of a slowdown, and they continue to report strong, even
robust, pipelines. If any sort of economic slowdown is coming,
consulting firms would be among the first to notice it.
Take a look at the 14-page Executive Outlook section; it’s
good news and that’s really good news.
Joseph Kornik
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
jkornik@alm.com
There’s no denying that
confidence, based on
the results of our annual
Executive Outlook survey and
exclusive interviews with 15
firm leaders, is higher than
it’s been in nearly a decade.
JOSEPH KORNIK
Tel: (212) 457-9176
jkornik@alm.com
Editor-in-Chief
JOSEPH KORNIK
Tel: (212) 457-9176
jkornik@alm.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
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tdale@alm.com
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ED WARE
Tel: (212) 457-9188
eware@alm.com
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