BrazilMaxime Julian managing partner of L.E.K. Consulting in France
Arnaud Sergent, the managing partner of L.E.K. Consulting in France, is passing on the baton to Maxime Julian, one of the company’s high-flying younger partners in Europe.
Three decade company veteran Arnaud Sergent has been heading the Paris office since early 2018, when he took the reins from Clare Chatfield. Under his leadership, L.E.K. Consulting continued its growth in France, and currently employs a team of just under 100 partners and consultants in the French office.
Founded in 1983 by a trio of ex-Bainees, L.E.K. Consulting is one of the more strategic-focused consultancies in the industry. The consulting firm helps clients across sectors with strategy development, mergers & acquisitions, business transformation and a range of functional topics. The group launched in France in 1989, with five of its in total twenty offices worldwide based in Europe.
“I’m very proud to have been elected head of L.E.K. Consulting’s Paris office by my fellow partners. This is an emotional milestone to take this role in a firm that hired me back in 2008 and has been my home ever since,” said Julian. “I’d like to thank all of the partners for their trust, and in particular Arnaud Sergent for his remarkable leadership over the last four years.”
The new office managing partner joined L.E.K. Consulting in the summer of 2008. “The consulting industry attracted me due to its variety and the steep learning curve,” Julian noted in an interview a while back.
His timing however wasn’t ideal. Three months after joining, the downfall of Lehman Brothers sparked a global financial crisis, unleashing havoc on stock markets and business environments. L.E.K. Consulting, like any other consultancy in the market, faced an uncertain period, but “I was lucky that the firm kept me on board despite the unfavourable economic environment.”
Fast forward thirteen years, and the firm will not have regretted its decision a single minute. Julian rapidly proved his worth, and in January 2017 – at the age of just 30 – he was promoted to partner. A member of L.E.K. Consulting’s Industrials and Digital practice, Julian advises clients on corporate strategy, growth development, value chain positioning, mergers & acquisitions and post-merger integration, organisation effectiveness, and digital transformation.
Julian also advises private equity players – one of L.E.K. Consulting’s powerhouse sectors in tandem with healthcare & life sciences and education – on strategic and commercial due diligence and value enhancement.
As part of his new role, Julian is also a member of L.E.K.'s European Regional Management Committee. He continues to serve on the firm’s Global Talent Committee.
“I will do the absolute best job I can of growing the firm while making sure we remain a great place to work for all our teams,” concluded Julian.
Across Europe, L.E.K. Consulting is led by Ben Faircloth, while globally the firm (headcount: 1,600 employees) is headed by Clay Heskett. Both leaders are based in the London office.
