Susan Haugen, Partner & Director of Recruiting
Susan has spent nearly 25 years in the finance industry and she is now translating that experience to work with other consultants – identifying talent and encouraging their strengths. She’s passionate about consulting as a career path and is excited to help people make significant contributions.
If you could try a different job for a day, what would you choose?
I’d like to be a landscape architect. I love the trees and plants of the upper Midwest, especially the evergreens. I think the ability to design with elements that grow and change would be challenging and rewarding.
What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?
Don’t overthink; just start connecting. Be happy, why would you be anything else?
How do you get yourself out of a slump?
Smile, dance, shift the energy.
What companies or leaders do you admire?
I admire leaders who truly engage their employees, but I think they are so rare. When employees understand the mission and how their efforts are contributing to their company’s success, they happily give 100%.
What has been the biggest shift you’ve noticed in your industry in the last decade?
I love that consulting is a career, not something you do between “real” jobs. The gig economy is making it possible for people to focus on what they love to do and what they do best and then move on and do it again.
Who has been most instrumental in your career?
My Dad. From a very early age he told me that I could do anything I set my mind to, and he was right. (He was also the guy who told me to go into accounting. I groaned and replied that I would never do that!)
What is your go-to celebration meal, drink or tradition?
A gin martini and a medium-rare New York strip.
