Adam Echter is a Partner with Simon-Kucher and leads the Global Industrials Sector. Echter’s career is marked by a deep commitment to enhancing sales excellence, business model innovation, and strategic pricing across various industries. With a rich background in sales development—from grassroots outside sales to the comprehensive restructuring and empowerment of sales teams—his expertise has impacted industrial companies with revenues ranging from $100 million to several billion dollars. Such experience and success have led to recognition as one of “The Top 25 Strategy Consultants and Leaders of 2023” by the Consulting Report.

An author of note, Echter co-authored “Beating Inflation” alongside Dr. Hermann Simon, a best-selling author and co-founder of Simon-Kucher. This work underscores his thought leadership in the field of pricing during economically volatile times. Moreover, his contribution to the speaker circuit has delivered valuable insights through the Professional Pricing Society, Chief Executive Group, Private Equity International and various industry/academic forums.

Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University at Buffalo and an MBA in finance from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. Notably, his commitment to education and mentorship led him back to the Simon School of Business to help develop the first comprehensive pricing degree formally recognized by any MBA program.

Alejandro Martinez is a strategic leader with a proven track record of building and executing large-scale Data & Analytics programs for global and regional clients across various business areas. With a keen eye for innovation and a knack for challenging the status quo, he has led the creation and implementation of new strategies to optimize data analysis and maximize business value.

Alejandro's contributions have not gone unnoticed, and he has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Global Healthcare Consultants by The Consulting Report, as well as a Visionary Leader in the Data & Analytics field by Analytics Insight. He is also a member of the Forbes Business Council, an invitation-only organization for successful business leaders and entrepreneurs.

In addition, Alejandro shares his expertise and insights as a strategy management lecturer and speaker at industry events.

Eric Wick is a Managing Director and Senior Partner in the Chicago office of Boston Consulting Group. He has led BCG’s Corporate Finance and Strategy practice area in North America, and has worked with clients across industries on a range of strategic and operational initiatives aimed at achieving enterprise goals.

Prior to joining BCG, held line roles including Operations Director for the online grocery distributor and various positions as an officer in the United States Navy, where he specialized in deep sea diving and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Eric holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona.

Kathleen P. Federico is the SVP, Chief People and Communications Officer at MITRE. She spearheads the development and implementation of scalable enterprise-wide programs and strategies to advance MITRE’s people and leaders. MITRE manages federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) supporting various U.S. government agencies in the aviation, defense, healthcare, homeland security, and cybersecurity fields, among others.

Prior to MITRE, she was the president and chief executive officer of The KDF Group, a boutique advisory firm that provided management and leadership consulting. Federico was also the chief human resources officer for Civitas Solutions, a provider of home-based health and human services. She also held the dual role of senior vice president of sales and HR at World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise agency. Federico holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Merrimack College.

Laura Manson-Smith is the Global Leader of Organization Strategy Consulting at Korn Ferry, a leading global organizational consulting firm. Joining the company in 2017 as a Senior Client Partner, Manson-Smith plays a pivotal role in designing optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities for clients. Korn Ferry specializes in helping clients hire the right talent, advising on workforce motivation and rewards, and guiding professionals through career development. With a career spanning 20 years, she is a seasoned business transformation specialist, focusing on sustainable change with an emphasis on the people and cultural dimensions.

Manson-Smith’s consulting expertise aids clients in improving business performance by aligning people, processes, and organizations with strategic goals. Manson-Smith has worked across diverse industries, including energy, defense, government, and pharmaceuticals, and has a global perspective through engagements in Europe, the US, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She holds a BS in physics with honors, including a year in Europe, from Imperial College, London, and is a qualified chartered accountant.

Scott Rankin is a Principal at KPMG and serves as Strategy leader for its Deal Advisory & Strategy practice. Based in Boston, Rankin has spent significant time as a strategy and M&A consultant, as well as in senior executive roles at a Fortune 150 retailer and a mobile commerce start-up. Rankin has deep expertise in defining and implementing inorganic and organic strategic initiatives across numerous industries and sectors, and as a strategy and M&A consultant, works directly with C-suite executives and private equity leaders to develop M&A strategies, strategic growth plans and operational transformations.

Rankin brings deep industry expertise and leverages sophisticated analytics to identify markets, categories and channels for growth and areas for profit improvement. His areas of expertise include growth strategy, commercial diligence, operational diligence, operating model transformation, cost optimization and profit improvement. Rankin has an MBA in Business & Strategy from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management with a BBA in Finance.