Liz Byrne, Consultant - Boston

Describe your professional and undergraduate background prior to Stax?

I graduated from Harvard College in 2017 with a concentration in Economics. Early on, I began working towards a career in Finance, studying Corporate Finance abroad at the London School of Economics as well as taking summer analyst positions in real estate finance. As I explored post-college opportunities, however, I was increasingly drawn to consulting – I wanted broader industry/market exposure and to be able to exercise curiosity and problem-solving on a daily basis. I first began my career in consulting at a boutique firm specialized in B2B technology, working mostly with emerging, high-growth tech companies and potential investors.

Why Stax? What were you looking for? What interested you about the opportunity at Stax?

Primary reasons: work interest and exposure, team/office environment (now WFH), and firm culture.

When I came to Stax, I was looking for a broader and deeper experience across industries and engagement types – Stax’s work on everything from Healthcare to Technology to Industrials and serving client needs across investor diligence, exit planning, value creation/growth strategy, M&A, and more, allowed me to do just that; I wanted to continue learning.

I was also drawn to Stax’s emphasis on the people and firm culture, as I was seeking a collaborative and supportive team environment and to work side-by-side with smart, driven people.

Describe your current role and what are some examples of projects and experiences?

I am a Consultant at Stax, which can really mean a lot of things – my role includes everything from managing the process and workstreams driving our research and analysis, to directly engaging with clients and delivering findings and recommendations.

I’ve now exceeded ~30+ projects in my career at Stax, which have covered a broad range of industries and engagement types (Diligence, Growth Strategy, M&A, Market Assessment, and Exit Planning). A few examples include:

• Growing strategy for a Workforce Management software provider, informing next steps in terms of product offering and positioning, customer segmentation, go-to-market strategy, and M&A playbook.
• M&A prioritization and assessment of the opportunity for a lead Physical Therapy EMR/Practice Management software provider to add Continuing Education (CE) to its platform, including identifying and prioritizing key adjacencies (products, features, functionalities) and potential Targets to help build out the vendor's core platform.
• Exit planning a company in the SIU/investigations space offering both software and 'boots on the ground' services, assessing the longevity of the market for the Company's core offerings and opportunities for growth/continued expansion.

How has Stax helped you grow, expand, and succeed in your career?

Stax has supported my career both in and out of project work. Within projects, Stax has given me the room and runway to take more ownership and responsibility, to push the thinking of the team and our broader discussions, to step into more client-facing roles, and to consider my work in the context of others and how to exercise leadership in a manner that both produces stronger work and develops and supports team members.

Outside of project work, Stax has opened the door to several new opportunities via formal events such as “lunch & learn” internal speaker series, attending women’s groups and conferences such as the Exponent Women, public speaking/training development; and Stax has always been open to supporting independent initiatives and certain extracurriculars.

Why would you advise prospective candidates to join Stax?

Stax facilitates a fantastic working and learning environment and is growth-oriented in many ways – the Company continually strives to improve its work and overall firm experience/culture and invests in developing its people and ensuring that the value from the work is received on all sides.

I’d advise anyone who is interested in solving new and evolving problems/questions across a diverse set of industries and end-markets, and who enjoys the challenge of working in a fast-paced environment with a team of supportive, driven peers, to consider joining Stax.

FUN FACTS:

What is your favorite place in Boston and why?

Fenway Park. Growing up, my family referred to it as “church.”

How do you like to spend your free time?

Exploring/weekend trips around New England; spending time with friends and family; any live music event (I’m incredibly excited for live music to return soon!); running; playing piano; Boston sports (particularly hockey & baseball).

What music is on your phone?

So many things … but Kygo. Avicii, Chris Stapleton, Zac Brown, and Amos Lee to name a few.