Dinner Meeting

Straight Talk from the CEO:

A Wake-Up Call for Consultants

Thursday, September 25, 2008
5:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Dinner Program
Hilton Garden Inn, Waltham, MA
(Click here for directions)

Do you provide services to CEOs or other very senior level executives? Do you know what they truly need, want, and are willing to pay for? Or are you just guessing?

Come join the New England Chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants on Thursday, September 25th to find out exactly what CEOs want and need from you during a controversial panel discussion where CEOs have agreed to have a straight talk and frank discussion about what they like and dislike about consultants, how consultants can best provide value, trust, and budding relationships.

You'll also learn some of their most pressing issues, the circumstances under which they'll seek outside help, how they do so, and what they look for. You'll learn from their experiences what works in consulting — and what doesn't. Can you afford to miss this in-depth view into the minds of executives who may be just like your best prospects?

Moderator

For more than 15 years, Curtis Bingham, the President of the Predictive Consulting Group, has helped companies dramatically increase customer acquisition, retention and customer profitability. He's the author of the forthcoming book published by HRD Press, The Key to Customer Strategy: The Rise of the Chief Customer Officer that describes how a consistent and unified customer strategy can grow revenue, profit and loyalty. He's uncovered millions of dollars in hidden profits for companies like Intuit, Microsoft, Standard & Poor's, Cardinal Health and numerous smaller businesses. A recognized authority and thought-leader on Chief Customer Officers (CCO), Curtis has published the annual Executive-Level Customer Champions report covering companies such as Cisco, HP, Sun, Monster.com and Disney that includes the roles, responsibilities, and best practices of CCOs around the world to increase customer loyalty and profitability. Curtis has worked with a variety of industries including enterprise software, telecom, semiconductor, marketing automation, publishing, corporate gift and Internet advertising, in addition to various non-profit organizations. He is a contributing editor for Sales & Marketing Excellence and a regular contributor to the Handbook of Business Strategy. Holding both an MBA from Lehigh University and a Master's in Computer Science from Brigham Young University, he has taught Demand Chain Management at Bentley College in Massachusetts, plus he is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants.

Panelists

Charles Allieri, CEO of iLantern, has a long history of success as a sales and marketing executive, building sales and marketing organizations within companies such as NCR, AT&T, i2, SSA and Infor. Based on a shared vision of how a company built on monitoring technology could revolutionize the business processes and effectiveness of any sales organization, he formed iLantern with his partner, Paul LaFrance, to monitor organizations online and then automatically alert salespeople to the changes within those organizations that reflect true selling opportunities. The combination of talents and expertise brought to the company by Paul and Charlie has helped to position iLantern as the leader in the rapidly growing Sales Knowledge Management (SKM) industry, providing analytical trending information and tools that automatically respond to changing events and tools that empower your sales organization to perform as never before.

Kevin Grassa, President of Whitridge Associates, Inc. (WAI), has over 20 years experience in the staffing industry. Kevin founded WAI in 1991 in Dorchester, MA. In 1996 he moved the company to Quincy, MA. As president, Kevin is the guiding force behind WAI. Prior to founding WAI, Kevin worked as a Senior Technical Recruiter and Senior Account Manager for CDI Corporation and Data Arts and Sciences, Inc. Kevin holds a BS degree from Fitchburg State College and has completed numerous IS technology and finance courses from Northeastern University.

Charles Nault, founder and Chairman of the Board at Atrion Networking Corporation, is recognized throughout New England for his technical consulting. He has provided training to such renowned companies as Codex Corporation, Avanti Communications, Dynatech Corporation, before starting his own company, leading the firm to sales of over $30 million annually. He has worked tirelessly on numerous boards and organizations, and is currently the treasurer of the Information Technology Academy, board member, past president and Chairman of the Information Technology group of Rhode Island’s Tech Collective, and ambassador and member of the CEO Club of Boston. His high level of social consciousness has benefited the community in which Atrion employees reside. Nault serves as Co-Chairman of the External Relations Committee for the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Foundation, is the Executive Director of the Artic Mission, former director of missions at Christian Hill Community Church and is an instructor in Junior Achievement. He is also a founding member of the Chief Executives Club of Rhode Island.

Cathy Thompson is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of GVA Williams’ Boston office. Active in the commercial real estate industry for over 20 years, Ms. Thompson focuses on the corporate services needs for long-term clients, and coordinates numerous transactions nationally. High-profile clients include U.S. Trust, Sonesta Hotels International, and Boston Beer Company. Previously with the Robbins Group, she served as the Vice President of the Commercial Brokerage Division. There she represented tenants and landlords in the Boston and Cambridge markets, and was responsible for commercial transactions grossing over $105 million. In her spare time, Cathy is a Harley rider.

Agenda

5:00 - 6:00 pm - Registration and Networking
6:00 - 8:30 pm - Dinner and Panel Discussion

Investment

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