Sarah Kaplan
 

examples of consulting projects
 

Innovation and innovativeness

  • Led a worldwide program to dramatically increase the innovativeness of a Fortune 100 health care corporation in order to assure 15+%  growth rates.  Guided 30 of the corporation's most senior executives through a 6 month "Conversation" on innovation including site visits to other innovative companies, detailed internal case studies and extensive discussion in task forces aimed at gaining commitment to a major innovation change effort.  Developed a roll out plan including a tool kit for improving innovativeness and an 800+ person meeting of worldwide executives.
     

  • Implemented innovation diagnostic protocol in four divisions of a major health care company ranging in size from $500 million to several billion dollars in sales.  With client teams in each unit, diagnosed the barriers to achieving higher levels of innovation and developed action plans for implementing change.
     

  • Worked with the top management team of a major wholesale financial services organization to define an innovative strategy that would reinvent the current market and to align the organization around achieving it.
     

  • Counseled top management teams of multiple clients (in steel, consumer goods, financial services, health care and other industries) on strategies and approaches for increasing growth and innovativeness.   

New business development

  • Developed a marketing and post merger strategy for new medical device technology.  Led client team to develop new approach for the U.S., Europe and Asia.  Laid out detailed implementation plan for revamping the marketing group skills and doubling sales force.  Designed program to increase sales by 100% over 2 years.
     

  • Developed a licensing and acquisition strategy for a major therapeutic area of a global pharma company.  Developed approach to build product portfolio and sales/marketing infrastructure to increase the top line by 250% over 3-4 years.
     

  • Mapped out plan for creation of a start-up health care service business within a major corporation.  Led team of 15 senior client executives to develop approach to managed care organizations - strategic direction, organizational structure, job descriptions, and ramp up plan.

General strategy

  • Developed turnaround strategy for major retail chain.  Created a plan to focus on the most profitable stores, customers and product lines resulting in a more than 20% increase in profitability in one year.
     

  • Redesigned strategic planning process at a major health care supplier to refocus business unit efforts on innovation, growth and market shaping activities.
     

  • Conducted strategic valuation of specialty chemicals business which led to postponement of a planned major capital investment and more creative sourcing to avoid industry over-capacity.

 

examples of speaking engagements
 

Industry

  • MIT Industrial Liaison Program, Innovations in Management Conference, May 2004
     

  • Equipment Leasing Association Executive Roundtable March 2003
     

  • MIT Microphotonics Industry Consortium annual partners meeting, November 2002
     

  • Industrial Design Society of America annual conference, Monterey, CA, July 2002
     

  • Webinar for SABA Software Human Capital Live on-line seminar, August 2002
     

  • Keynote address with Dick Foster, Strategic Management Society annual conference, Berlin, October 1999
     

  • Keynote address to McKinsey Automotive Supplier Conference of leading North American automotive suppliers, Detroit, MI, April 1999
     

  • Grocery Manufacturers' Association, Washington, D.C., October 1998
     

  • Keynote speech at Canadian Electricity Conference, Montreal, Canada, October 1998
     

  • Workshop with Dick Foster for 40 executives at Innovative Thinking 7 conference, Scottsdale, AZ, February 1997

Individual company

  • "Creative Destruction"  key note at senior management annual meeting for major environmental consulting firm
     

  • "Framing the future:  how worldviews shape technology strategy", presentation to R&D organization in major communications equipment company
     

  • "Sustaining growth - creating the growth organization," presentation to top 250 executives of leading packaging company
     

  • "Making growth happen in financial services," presentation to top 40 executives of New York-based savings and mortgage bank
     

  • "Jumpstarting innovation and growth," presentation to top 50 executives and managers of R&D department of leading agrochemicals company
     

  • "Creating new mental models  -- building an environment for innovation," presentation to 180 executives of major health care products company
     

  • "The innovation challenge in the electricity industry," presentation to 10 top executives of Canadian electricity utility
     

  • "Balancing innovation and operational excellence," discussion with 15 executives from European oil company
     

  • "The market research contribution to innovation," presentation to 50 market research professionals of a leading consumer products company
     

  • "Making growth happen in small business financial services," presentation to 25 executives in top financial services organization
     

  • "Outperformance," presentation to 50 members of legal department of high growth energy company
     

  • "Jumpstarting growth in consumer products," presentation to President and top team of leading consumer products company
     

  • "Jumpstarting growth in financial services," presentation to top 60 managers and executives of leading banking (treasury services) organization

 

examples of executive education

  • Led the effort to create a 3-day innovation training event for the top 800 executives of a Fortune 100 health care company.   Taught a "train the trainers" session to 100 executives so they could facilitate growth strategy discussions in their own business units.
     

  • Worked with faculty at the Wharton School to design and teach a week-long growth training course for the senior management teams of high growth potential business units within a Fortune 100 chemical company.  Taught the session on creativity and idea generation for growth.
     

  • Was a regular member of the strategy faculty at McKinsey & Co. Mini-MBA program.  Taught strategy case to newly entering Associates who did not have MBA degrees.  Taught several sessions over the course of a three year period to groups of 40 participants.
     

  • Developed and taught a ½ day workshop on the role of market research in new product innovation to more than 75 market research executives and staff at a major consumer products company
     

  • Conducted live webinar for SABA Software Human Capital Live on-line seminar of more than 75 human resource executives
     

  • Gave a series of workshops on themes for innovation and growth to the 12-person senior management team from a key business unit in a top New York financial institution.
     

  • Taught workshop on innovation with Dick Foster for 40 mid-to-senior level executives at Innovative Thinking 7 conference, Scottsdale, AZ
     

  • Co-developed a two day workshop for McKinsey on creative thinking for 80 worldwide partners and associates of the firm.  Taught ½ day session on developing creative strategies.

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Creative Destruction