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Toffler Associates is in the disruption business, says CEO Deborah Westphal. And it’s
been that way since the very beginning.
Futurists and authors of Future Shock
and The Third Wave, Alvin and Heidi
Toffler, together with former KPMG executive Tom Johnson, founded Toffler Associates in 1996 as an outgrowth of their
work with global political and business
leaders, forecasting key shifts that would
later disrupt society and industry. They
insisted, however, their firm approach consulting differently, led by the primary imperative of helping organizations succeed
in the “Third Wave,” or knowledge era.
As an early client of the firm, Westphal
experienced that difference first-hand, and
after being recruited by Al himself, has
been with the firm nearly since its inception. She’s been CEO for 10 years.
“Our client engagements are a testament
to the legacy of the Tofflers’ work and mission to create a better future for our clients
and society through the work we do,” Westphal says. “The increasing pace of change
and pressure on today’s leaders to make
good decisions in the face of such change
has contributed significantly to our growth.
As more industries are disrupted and more
companies see benefit in disrupting them-
selves, they seek partners like us to come out
stronger on the other side of that disruption.”
After experiencing its own disruption
several years ago, Westphal says Toffler is
more disciplined in pursuing opportunities
that align with its value proposition. “We’re
a small firm by design, but have enjoyed
growth in both staffing and revenue as
an increasingly global landscape creates
greater demand for a business partner who
understands the changing global landscape
and who can deliver actionable guidance to
chart a more sustainable growth plan.”
Last year, Reston, Va.-based Toffler, grew
at a respectable 32 percent; very impres-
sive considering the firm only added four
consultants. The year before, Toffler also
added four consultants but grew at a dizzy-
ing 108 percent. Westphal expects to double
Toffler’s revenue in the next few years,
and develop a more robust commercial and
international client base to complement its
very strong public sector portfolio.
Currently, a considerable portion of
Toffler’s work is in the Public Sector and
having a team in place with the right skills
and qualifications, particularly regarding
the security and protection of critical infra-
structure, is critical to capturing opportu-
nities in that space, she says. “Just as im-
portant, though, is building a team whose
collective experience and expertise allows
us to offer a broader perspective and dif-
ferent way of thinking to our clients.”
Toffler’s biggest opportunities are re-
lated to strategy, as senior executives face
new and different challenges in growing
their businesses, Westphal says. As the
pace of change continues to increase and
innovation cycles grow even shorter, time
becomes an even more valued resource.
“We’re at an interesting time in both
our company’s and the country’s history
and the intersection of those is exciting,”
she says. “The significant changes in the
past year that are altering the global land-
scape—Brexit, human migration, the U.S.
presidential election, and related societal
shifts, are driving disruption of a scale we
haven’t seen in a long time.”
Companies who’ve prepared for such
disruption are poised to capitalize on the
opportunities arising from it. “The in-
creasing correlation between challenges
plaguing government and enterprise lead-
ers challenges us to transfer our deep work
in the public sector to helping commercial
companies solve very similar problems.”
TOFFLER ASSOCIATES
