Former Bain Middle East boss among those promoted to new posts

13 February 2020 Consultancy-me.com

Bain & Company’s former Middle East managing partner James Hadley has been tapped to head up the consultancy’s UK office. Meanwhile, the firm has also appointed Dirk Vater to lead its Financial Service practice for the EMEA region, which includes oversight of the Middle East.

Global management consultancy Bain & Company has appointed former Middle East managing partner James Hadley to the firm’s top role in the UK. Meanwhile, Frankfurt-based partner Dirk Vater has been tapped to head up Bain’s Financial Services Practice for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while experienced recent recruit Klaus Kremers will also now co-lead Bain’s EMEA Accelerated Transformation (BAT) practice based out of Berlin.

James Hadley

Stepping up from his most recent role as head of Bain’s strategy practice for the EMEA, company veteran James Hadley has been named as the firm’s new managing partner for the UK. Having first joined Bain in 1996 following a bachelor’s degree with the University of Oxford, Hadley later spent four years from 2008 to 2012 as managing partner of Bain in the Middle East, joining the firm’s regional hub in Dubai shortly after its official launch.

“Our Middle East office will allow us to better serve the growing needs of the region,” said Jean-Marie Péan in 2008, responsible for the launch and who today remains as Chairman of Bain Middle East, which has since added outlets in Doha and Riyadh. Having been tasked with shaping and executing the firm’s strategy in the region – during what was an especially fertile period for the regional consulting industry – Hadley in 2012 handed over Luc Luyten on his return to London.

“James is a leader held in high regard by his peers and colleagues,” said Bain’s EMEA boss Domenico Azzarello of Hadley’s latest promotion. “He is admired for his exceptional client dedication and recognised for his outstanding contribution to developing talent within our firm. We have experienced remarkable growth in the UK over the past five years and are excited to see James take the helm of our dynamic and innovative London office.”

James Hadley, Dirk Vater en Klaus Kremers - Bain & Company

Dirk Vater

Another veteran consultant, Dirk Vater, has meanwhile been appointed to lead Bain’s Financial Services Practice for the EMEA, with Vater having taken up the role at the beginning of the year. A doctorate-holder, Vater has amassed more than two and half decades of financial services-focused management consulting experience, having first joined Bain in Frankfurt in 2004 following more than ten years with Boston Consulting Group, where he was a partner.

“For years, Bain & Company’s work with banks and insurers has been a major contributor to the firm’s above-average growth, and Dirk is one of our most accomplished experts in this area,” said Azzarello of the appointment. “He has a strong track record in the financial services sector and has earned a high level of trust with both his clients and colleagues. I am convinced that he will continue to build on Bain & Company's strong position in the industry.”

Hadley and Vater’s appointments closely coincide with the recruit of Philippe De Backer to Arthur D. Little’s Dubai office as global financial services practice leader, with De Backer having both previously headed up Bain’s European financial services business as well as spent time in the Middle East during Hadley’s tenure. Meanwhile, Bain has landed its own high-profile recruit, luring Klaus Kremers across to co-lead its EMEA Accelerated Transformation practice.

Klaus Kremers

Also named outright head of Bain’s Accelerated Transformation practice for the German-speaking DACH region (the firm’s BAT offering is described as delivering urgent cost, cash, capital and revenue benefits while working toward longer-term sustainable growth), Kremers crosses after a near six-year partnership stint with McKinsey & Company in Berlin, before which he spent over 13 years with Roland Berger in Germany and the UK, rising to senior partner level.

“I’m pleased that with Klaus we have gained a colleague who has already been working successfully in the international consulting business for many years,” said Walter Sinn, Bain’s managing partner for Germany. “In the past year, Bain & Company has further expanded its strong position among the world’s leading strategy consultancies. And its market share is expected to increase in 2020 as well. The prerequisite for this is a strong partner group.”

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