In his first year as a senior associate at Katzenbach Partners, Brian worked in three different industries, leveraging his quantitative skills and discovering new talents in a variety of projects involving strategy, productivity, organization, negotiation, diversity, and governance. Along the way, he influenced a billion-dollar decision and moved a board of directors from armchairs to barstools-literally-in what the directors described as the best board meeting they'd ever seen. He also traveled the world and had a lot of fun. "At Katzenbach, we tried not to take ourselves too seriously, and life was never dull."

As an engagement manager, Brian founded Katzenbach's Telecom Practice and was its second Practice Leader. He developed and managed engagements in Australia and the United States which reinvented how wireless retail gets done, and his insights on how wireless carriers could compete during an oncoming industry disruption were cited in leading newspapers. "Katzenbach's culture allowed me to be entrepreneurial and stoke my passion for mobile devices and consumer electronics-all while building my general management experience and business development skills."

Now, as Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain Solutions for Brightstar Corporation, Brian is responsible for selling, providing, and managing supply chain and lifecycle management solutions on behalf of wireless carriers and mass retailers in North America for a company that has $4.8 billion in sales in 50 countries. In a typical week, Brian still travels heavily. He flies from his home in San Francisco on Monday morning to visit current customers or try to bring a new prospect on board. He ensures that Brightstar's business process outsourcing services are serving customers well and delivering profits for his company.

"Absolutely, my work at Katzenbach is the reason I am here in this position. Brightstar was my first client in mobility, my first exposure to the industry. I was able to develop strong relationships with the executives, and I kept in touch with them as one engagement led to another and eventually to this job. It wouldn't have happened at another firm. Katzenbach allows you to advance much more quickly in terms of your exposure to executive levels and client development. Even now, my Katzenbach experience helps me on a daily basis. My work is similar from a customer management and business development perspective. It's the operational aspect that's different. I'm responsible for millions of dollars on a P&L statement. I have a lot of freedom to make decisions how I see fit, I can take action more quickly, and I really feel the impact of whatever decision I'm making, whether it's right or wrong. My experience at Katzenbach helps me frame up the decisions, and that analytical mindset is very helpful in filtering out some of the noise to make the correct decisions and at the right speed."