BCG’s Michelle Russell Wins ‘Women Leaders in Consulting’ Award


Chicago-based Senior Partner at The Boston Consulting Group Is One of 13 Women Recognized for Outstanding Achievement by Consulting Magazine and One of Six in the Category of ‘Excellence in Leadership’

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michelle Stohlmeyer Russell, a Chicago-based senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has won a Women Leaders in Consulting award from Consulting magazine, the industry’s leading trade publication. She is one of 13 women the magazine will honor on November 16 at a gala dinner at the St. Regis New York hotel in Manhattan, and one of six in the category of “Excellence in Leadership.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14bd5c29-0c20-4a64-9249-ffce40d7e318

Joe Kornik, Consulting’s editor and publisher, said that the awards, now in their eleventh year, had attracted nearly 400 nominations in 2017. “The quality of the nominations and the accomplishments of the winners continue to stun us year after year, and this year was certainly no exception.”

“Even though women make up about a quarter of the consulting profession, their overall impact is significantly greater,” he added. “Consulting magazine is honored to be able to shine a light on the accomplishments of these women leaders and the firms they represent.”

Russell won for her leadership both within and outside BCG. For the past four years, she has led Women@BCG, the firm’s global women’s initiative, in North America. In this role, she spearheaded the North American rollout of Apprenticeship in Action (AiA), a program that she helped develop to improve the retention, satisfaction, and promotion of female employees to senior management. Since AiA’s debut five years ago, female promotion rates have increased across all consultant cohorts in North America, with a 22-percentage-point rise among senior managers. Satisfaction with BCG’s efforts to retain women has increased by 20 percentage points among all women and by 30 percentage points among senior women. Over the past three years, the number of female partners and the number of women consultants overall has increased by around 50% in North America. These and other results were recently featured in a Harvard Business Review article online.

Joe Davis, BCG’s chairman of North America, said Russell was highly deserving of recognition for her exceptional leadership of Women@BCG. “Women@BCG and our broader Diversity & Inclusion initiatives are a top priority of our North America leadership team,” he said. “Michelle’s commitment and passion have helped us take our internal and external efforts to the next level.”

Russell is an active member of the Health Care and People & Organization practice areas. Her client work focuses on change management and strategy across a broad set of clients, with an emphasis on health care systems. From 2010 to 2014, she led BCG’s Health Care practice for the Midwest and Canada, overseeing a period of double-digit annual growth.

“It’s gratifying to see the results we’ve been able to achieve, working in partnership with the leaders of the firm. Most exciting is the fact that the changes we’ve made to improve the BCG experience for women have elevated the experience for all,” said Russell, who will continue to be involved with Women@BCG as the Global Practices Lead.

Outside the firm, Russell serves on the board of Leadership Greater Chicago and on the Civic Consulting Alliance’s Leadership Council. She received a PhD in organic chemistry from Stanford University, where she was a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, and a BA from the University of St. Thomas. In 2016, she was named BCG’s Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother magazine.

Since launching the Women Leaders in Consulting Awards in 2007, Consulting has recognized nine BCGers:  Jeanie DuckSandy Moose, and Antonella Mei-Pochtler for lifetime achievement; Sharon Marcil and Kim Wagner for client service; and Roselinde TorresWendy Woods, Carol Liao, and now Russell for leadership.

For a complete list of this year’s Women Leaders in Consulting honorees, click here. The winners will be profiled in the December 2017 edition of the magazine, which will be available on December 8 and can be found after that date on www.consultingmag.com.

To arrange an interview with Russell, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com.

About The Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with more than 90 offices in 50 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com.

The Boston Consulting Group
Eric Gregoire
Global Media Relations Manager

Tel +1 617 850 3783
Fax +1 617 850 3701
gregoire.eric@bcg.com

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