Experienced consulting executive Kathleen Kelly has been named partner and leader of the newly launched Minneapolis-St. Paul office of Pepper Foster Consulting, a Portland, Ore.,-based strategy and execution consulting firm that chose the Twin Cities over 25 other metros.
Kelly, most recently an independent consultant, has more than 25 years of experience with firms including Accenture and KPMG Management Consulting. She moved to the Twin Cities in the late 1990s from Chicago to run a former consulting firm's office here.
"Pepper Foster was best in line with my values, my ethics, my priorities and culture," Kelly said. "You work to make your clients succeed. If they're successful you've succeeded. The consulting company will ultimately benefit but it's driven by the client, not the company, and that's a different paradigm."
Pepper Foster managing partner Damian Smith founded the firm in 2015 after more than 25 years with firms including Hitachi Consulting and Slalom.
Smith said he chose the Twin Cities for Pepper Foster's new office in part because of the growth opportunity in a market that has more than 250 companies with more than $100 million in revenue.
He also believed Pepper Foster's culture, which values both humility and confidence, would find traction here. The firm helps clients take ideas for new products and new services and develop them through launch and beyond, Smith said. Clients include Daimler, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Adidas and Nautilus.
Kelly expects the Twin Cities office, now based in the Nordic Building in Minneapolis' North Loop, to reach 200 employees by its fourth year. The Portland office has a staff of 35 and is growing, Smith said, but in a market that has 25 companies that top $100 million in revenue.
Q: Why did you want to join Pepper Foster?
