Spotlight on Independent Consultant: Brigitte Herren
Spotlight on Independent Consultant: Brigitte Herren
Brigitte Herren is an a-connect consultant who blends strategic expertise with deep empathy, steering large-scale transformation programs with both rigor and heart. With a background in global banking and consulting, she now brings her talents to the life sciences sector, helping clients embed change that lasts.
We wanted to learn more about Brigitte and how she blends strategic expertise with deep empathy, steering large-scale transformation programs with both rigor and heart, so we asked her a few questions:
Brigitte:
“After studying Communications, I began my career in Switzerland with an advertising agency and then moved to a marketing role in the life insurance sector. I later earned an MBA and a Master’s in International Relations, which led me to join Accenture in Germany, where I consulted with a focus on Financial Services. After five years, I moved to Deutsche Bank’s internal consulting team and eventually led their UK office.
I’ve now been working independently for nearly 10 years, initially by chance, and later by design, primarily on life sciences and oncology-related projects. That space really energizes me. What I particularly like in this industry is the culture. It feels more value-driven and purpose-led, which creates a very different, more open and relaxed working environment. What surprised me was how similar the consulting challenges remain, despite the cultural shift, my focus on implementation, decision-making, and transformation stayed the same.”
Brigitte:
“I’ve always loved the variety and fast pace of consulting. I tend to get bored easily, and consulting allows me to solve new challenges continuously. That said, I really enjoyed my time working long-term with a client, especially during two of my longer engagements where I had a strong interim management feel. I love to see how my rule truly becomes impactful and when you start to feel how things have improved and transformed for the better.”
Brigitte:
“I am happiest when I manage large business transformations and take on a role where a considerable portion of operational decision-making is done through my team. There is a bit of an entrepreneur in me, and I enjoy having the authority to move things forward. a-connect and its relationship with the clients, help me to proceed with such projects.
There’s something truly distinctive about a-connect’s culture and integrity. Many firms talk about caring for clients and consultants, but at a-connect, I feel it’s genuine. I also appreciate the scale and ambition of the projects. Clients expect us to deliver real transformation, and a-connect ensures we have the backing to do that effectively.”
Brigitte:
“One that stands out was a transformation project in life sciences. While leading the PMO, we established hypothesis why certain R&D are slow in time to market. Together with the client, we designed a steering tool that combined process knowledge, but also learned heavily from insights in behavioral science.
It ended up reducing time-to-market by a factor of three. We later rolled it out across key R&D sites and even co-authored a publication on our approach. (Read more here: Exploring Sanofi R&D’s Batch Monitoring Initiative) It started as a side initiative, completely outside the original project scope, but became a full project and eventually a global best practice.”
Brigitte:
“In parallel to my consulting work, I spent five years completing an MSc in Psychotherapy. I now see a small number of clients on two evenings a week. It’s a different kind of problem-solving, more reflective, slower-paced, but it adds a sense of purpose and balance to my life.
Therapy and consulting may seem worlds apart, but both are about navigating change and empowering others. That crossover really enriches my perspective.”
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