North Highland: 30 Years On

In celebration of North Highland’s 30th birthday, we journeyed back in time to highlight key milestones—with a forward view to the many more ahead.

It’s amazing how time flies when you're making change happen! As the playing field shifted over the years, North Highland took steps to help clients future-proof their businesses. It’s true, we’re all about looking ahead. But we’d be nothing without what came before.

Join us as we venture through our timeline and spotlight some memorable moments in our 30-year history.

The 1990s

April 1992 marked the beginning of an era. Bob Bowman, Dave Peterson, and Chuck Morn built the foundations from which North Highland was born. Emerging around the same time that the internet began to go global, they had their work cut out—but they stuck true to their vision to create a different kind of consulting firm. And that’s exactly what they did.

The 2000s

Almost 13 years from where it all began, Dan Reardon became CEO. Under his leadership, North Highland grew into a multi-tooled consulting powerhouse, expanding from 20 to 3,500+ consultants through a global consulting alliance called Cordence Worldwide.

The 2010s

The 2010s was a truly transformational decade for North Highland, notable for its expansion in services and market recognitions:

Service expansion

  • 2013: Delivery consulting practice launches, offering Managed Services
  • 2014: Strategy offering expands, helping clients from strategy through to delivery

2014: The Academy launches for early-stage consultants to network, learn, and grow their consulting skills

Awards and recognition

  • 2012: Top 5 Consulting Firms to Work For by Consulting Magazine
  • 2018: Top 5 Consulting Firms In Thought Leadership Quality by Source Global
  • 2019: Best Firms to Work For by Consulting Magazine

The 2020s

The first two years of the 2020s saw an enhanced focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with the appointment of Sucheta Misra as AVP and Social Impact Leader.

And the recognition didn’t stop rolling in either:

  • 2020: One of the 12 most significant providers in customer experience by Forrester
  • 2021: A UK Leading Management Consultant by Financial Times
  • 2021: America’s Best Management Consulting Firms List by Forbes
  • 2021: One of seven representative vendors for the digital strategy use case by Gartner

As if 2021 couldn’t get any better, North Highland also acquired Logistipoint Consulting, enhancing its strategy and supply chain expertise.

So, with all this behind us, the stage was set for Dan Reardon’s successor to take the reins. In January 2022, after having been with us for eight years, Alex Bombeck became the new CEO of North Highland.

The future…

Alex makes no secret of emphasizing people as the ultimate key to success, whether that be in serving the workforce or clients. Creating “the most enviable culture on the planet” is his aim, and he has been taking steps towards that long before he became CEO.

Now, 30 years on, we look back at the local model North Highland was built on, where people are unmistakably at the heart. And, despite the enormous growth and expansion since then, we can be proud that this still rings true. We have a global family of transformational changemakers who have never been better placed to reach their full potential.

Ready to focus on your future? Take a look at 30 Things You Need To Know for 2022 and beyond, and don’t hesitate to connect with North Highland to help your organization build for change.

30 Years of Making Change Happen Timeline

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Courtney James
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