Jean Michel Felix
CEO
In an exclusive conversation with CEO Insights, Jean spoke about his role in developing transformational strategies for the company.
What would you say about MCB Consulting as a company and its position in the market? What distinguishes your management consulting services from others in the industry?
MCB Consulting is now positioned as a worldwide management consulting firm, focusing on English and French speaking Africa, where we have a strong presence, as well as the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions. Since the inception of MCB Consulting in 2014,we've used ourexpertise and combat experience to provide clients with long-term solutions to assist them to achieve their innovation and business growth objectives. Advisory services, which range from strategic
planning and execution to Advisory services, which range from strategic planning and execution to risk management, business process & organization reviews, assistance in the selection, implementation, maintenance of Information Technology solutions, and training services are among the areas in which we currently intervene. Although most of our services are sector agnostic, we may claim to have a significant competitive advantage in the financial industry thanks to our created motto ‘banker user implementer.’ We've completed more than 580 projects in 41 countries across five continents thanks to our experience.
How have you handled the problems posed by the COVID-affected market, as well as the necessity for new business strategies? How would you characterize your team's contribution in overcoming those obstacles?
The global pandemic has surely wreaked havoc on individuals and organizations all around the world. We had to navigate unexpected crisis, adopting new ways and being forced to re-imagine our business strategies to maintain value for all of our stakeholders while also dealing with the reality that we couldn't be on premise. We built insightful projects and approaches, guided by our strategic positioning and key enablers that we exploited, and I believe this is critical in weathering a storm like this knowing what to redesign, why, and when. We all know we'll face headwinds at some point, whether internally or internationally, but the crucial differentiator is establishing the resilience and nimbleness to meet those problems. I can attest to the MCB Consulting team, which has proved its abilities during this trying time. Simi larly, as a firm, we haven't stopped investing in our people and the community as a whole.
Which milestones in your professional career have provided you with the most satisfaction?
In everything I do, I am particularly motivated by passion and a strong feeling of purpose. As a result, I am proud of all of my accomplishments so far in my career, whether they were the restructuring exercises I was able to participate in as part of my leadership roles or the most significant, such as founding MCB Consulting and successfully leading it to become a major player in
In everything I do, I am particularly motivated by passion and a strong feeling of purpose
How have you handled the problems posed by the COVID-affected market, as well as the necessity for new business strategies? How would you characterize your team's contribution in overcoming those obstacles?
The global pandemic has surely wreaked havoc on individuals and organizations all around the world. We had to navigate unexpected crisis, adopting new ways and being forced to re-imagine our business strategies to maintain value for all of our stakeholders while also dealing with the reality that we couldn't be on premise. We built insightful projects and approaches, guided by our strategic positioning and key enablers that we exploited, and I believe this is critical in weathering a storm like this knowing what to redesign, why, and when. We all know we'll face headwinds at some point, whether internally or internationally, but the crucial differentiator is establishing the resilience and nimbleness to meet those problems. I can attest to the MCB Consulting team, which has proved its abilities during this trying time. Simi larly, as a firm, we haven't stopped investing in our people and the community as a whole.
Which milestones in your professional career have provided you with the most satisfaction?
In everything I do, I am particularly motivated by passion and a strong feeling of purpose. As a result, I am proud of all of my accomplishments so far in my career, whether they were the restructuring exercises I was able to participate in as part of my leadership roles or the most significant, such as founding MCB Consulting and successfully leading it to become a major player in
Africa. Another achievement I am proud of is the establishment of our MCB Institute of Finance, which is the result of a partnership with a major player in education (Uniciti Education Hub), which provides top-notch executive education programs. On a personal level, I am particularly driven and empowered when these key success factors are aligned; doing clean business, instilling passion within the team, earning the trust of our clients and partners, working and practicing sports with that same passion.
Based on your considerable experience in the management consulting sector, what advice would you provide to aspiring CEOs?
Looking back on my professional career, I feel that establishing a vision, putting passion into what we do, and working as a team are the three levers that are critical to the success of any business. This reminds me of a phrase I saw in the Johannesburg airport in South Africa that had a lasting impression on me and went something like this, “If you want to move swiftly, go alone. Go together if you want to go far”. Building a management consulting firm from the bottom-up has been extremely rewarding in every manner, and I believe it has provided me with the finest environment for understanding complicated problems and identifying a variety of solutions. However, without these three factors, it would not have been possible. Another point I'd like to emphasize is the necessity of looking at the broad picture and understanding your company's ecosystem. It's only by looking at the entire value chain that you'll be able to appreciate and identify the best prospects.
Jean Michel Felix, CEO, MCB Consulting
Jean joined the MCB Group in 2004 as the Managing Director of Finlease, where he successfully restructured the company over the course of approximately three years. He eventually supervised the reorgani zation of the MCB Group's internal audit functions, driving a series of significant improvements in strategy, method, scope, and depth, transforming the Inspection BU into a Group Combined Assurance function, two and a half years later. In parallel, Jean took over the ongoing implementation of a core banking system for MCB, following which set up a group project management office which further on led to the creation of MCB Consulting. He is a fellow of the ACCA, a Certified Internal Auditor as well as certified in Risk and Information Systems Control from ISACA.
Based on your considerable experience in the management consulting sector, what advice would you provide to aspiring CEOs?
Looking back on my professional career, I feel that establishing a vision, putting passion into what we do, and working as a team are the three levers that are critical to the success of any business. This reminds me of a phrase I saw in the Johannesburg airport in South Africa that had a lasting impression on me and went something like this, “If you want to move swiftly, go alone. Go together if you want to go far”. Building a management consulting firm from the bottom-up has been extremely rewarding in every manner, and I believe it has provided me with the finest environment for understanding complicated problems and identifying a variety of solutions. However, without these three factors, it would not have been possible. Another point I'd like to emphasize is the necessity of looking at the broad picture and understanding your company's ecosystem. It's only by looking at the entire value chain that you'll be able to appreciate and identify the best prospects.
Jean Michel Felix, CEO, MCB Consulting
Jean joined the MCB Group in 2004 as the Managing Director of Finlease, where he successfully restructured the company over the course of approximately three years. He eventually supervised the reorgani zation of the MCB Group's internal audit functions, driving a series of significant improvements in strategy, method, scope, and depth, transforming the Inspection BU into a Group Combined Assurance function, two and a half years later. In parallel, Jean took over the ongoing implementation of a core banking system for MCB, following which set up a group project management office which further on led to the creation of MCB Consulting. He is a fellow of the ACCA, a Certified Internal Auditor as well as certified in Risk and Information Systems Control from ISACA.