I first met George and Margaret Beaton back in 1997 when a professor at the Melbourne Business School suggested I talk to them to get ideas and inspiration about what a lawyer with an MBA might possibly be able to do. Margaret mentioned her 1995 PhD thesis on “The role of quality, value and structural factors on exit, voice, loyalty and neglect in the relationship between law firms and corporate clients”. I promptly tracked her thesis down in the School library and read it.
Margaret’s research was the foundation for the first Legal Beacon study and I’ve been involved as a buyer and user of Beaton’s research and consulting services since then. Nearly 25 years on, having continued to focus on the business side of professional services both in-house and as a consultant, I have closed the circle by joining Beaton as a Melbourne-based Partner in May this year.B
Change is where opportunities lie
The pace of change in professional services is accelerating and the challenges are multiplying – especially post-pandemic. What better time to return to consulting than now to play a part in how these trends shape firms and their clients for the future. Actions taken now based upon a foundation of evidence-based insight can lift the performance of firms significantly and future-proof them as competition and client expectations intensify. By understanding the key drivers and challenges in our clients’ businesses we can help them create value for their clients and capture a share of that value. This is one of the reasons I joined Beaton.
After nearly seven years inhouse with one “big” firm in a pricing role, I am back to applying my expertise across the full spectrum of clients and markets including strategy, pricing, key account management, client listening and CX. Even my legal background in property and property trusts is finding favour with Beaton natural and built environment consulting clients. The challenges are similar across all types of professional services, but the insights – and therefore the solutions – are grounded in research and analysis relevant to each organisation. The Beaton brand is synonymous with excellence, insight, rigour and independence in the evidence-gathering, analysis and value-adding consulting our team delivers.
The core research and operations team and suite of benchmarking and research products are well complemented by talented and technically diverse consulting partners in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. Like electrons circling the nucleus of an atom, the Beaton business model fits the times perfectly. It is a great place for someone who, like me, is intellectually curious and who values excellence in delivery, collaboration across a team and connection with high calibre, deeply engaged clients. Beaton is a great brand with a supportive and flexible approach to working.
Libby visiting the offices of and congratulating Accru for their success in the 2022 Client Choice Awards.
My first six months
My first six months at Beaton have been characterised by two lockdowns, a virtual Client Choice Awards, and Festival, Season 1 of our 3in60 webinars, and client assignments. Despite the lockdown, my onboarding has been well executed, the Beaton team and Beaton clients have welcomed me heartily and generously and I have hit the ground running at a pace appropriate for the rate of change in professional services firms. It has been a joy to reconnect with some old consulting clients and a privilege to connect with new ones. Since joining Beaton I have been fortunate to work with some dynamic and progressive firms on projects that will ensure they continue to compete strongly in their markets and flourish.
I am proud to be a member of a very experienced and talented team at Beaton and to have the opportunity to work with a diverse and high calibre stable of clients.
To find out a bit more about me, my career-long devotion to professional services, and my personal commitment to access to justice, women’s health and family safety, you can find me on LinkedIn.