Expertise: Growth Strategy
Stephen Blunck
Senior Consultant, Maven Associates
VP, Serent Capital
Associate, Advent International
Senior Associate Consultant, Bain & Company
MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
BS, Brigham Young University
Representative Projects
- Developed and implemented procurement and cost reduction initiatives for multi-billion-dollar public retailer
- Designed organizational growth strategy and decision-making framework for charter school network expanding across regions
- Led the merger of two human capital management enterprises to consolidate market share and drive growth synergies
- Created strategy to accelerate company growth for data center company
- Implemented value creation initiatives for at-risk healthcare entity, including leadership build-out, growth strategy, and new geography expansion
- Supported ed-tech company with merger integration, financial operations, capital structure, and tracking against key performance indicators
- Negotiated with lenders to obtain ~$600M in financing to facilitate company recapitalization
- Led due diligence workstreams for multiple potential private equity transactions, with combined enterprise value of ~$6B
Expertise
Industries
- Business Services
- Healthcare
- Financial Services
- Retail
- Education
- Technology & Software
- Human Capital Management
- Pharmaceuticals
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- M&A Strategy
- Finance
- Profit Improvement
- Organizational Design
- Due Diligence
Representative Clients
Companies
- JCPenney
- Uplift Education
- TalentWave
- Professional Health
- Care Network
- KEV School Solutions
- Data Center Co.
- ATI Physical Therapy
- InVentiv
PE Firms
- Serent Capital
- Advent International
VP Strategy, Blucora
AVP Corporate Strategy & Development, AT&T
Case Team Leader, Bain & Company
Ops Officer, U.S. Intel Community
MBA, Duke University
BS, Electrical Engineering, Missouri S&T University
Representative Projects
- Planned and executed multiple domestic and international high-stakes telecommunications auctions with $18B+ acquisitions
- Developed growth strategy for recently-acquired specialty insurance company resulting in customer acquisition of $30B anchor client
- Led development of wealth management M&A growth strategy with $20B in asset growth potential
- Established and led annual strategic planning process for Fortune 10 firm
- Formed and led program management of new global joint venture for five major telecommunications firms achieving technical prototypes in 6 weeks
- Established program management organization and governance committee for $81B in wireless radio spectrum assets
- Conducted due diligence of $1.4B U.S. Government subsidy auction, identifying significant flaws in auction and program design, and advocating for change with FCC
- Led due diligence team of new 5G technology and resulting deployment cost model
- Managed creation of wealth management profit improvement plan with new pricing to realize $45M in incremental gross profit
Expertise
Industries
- Financial Services
- Military & Intelligence
- Speciality Retail
- Technology
- Telecommunications
Expertise
- Growth Strategy
- Auction Planning & Execution
- Strategic Planning & Program Management
- Due Diligence
- Profit Improvement
Representative Clients
Companies
- AT&T
- Blucora, Inc.
- $10B Speciality Insurer
- Fortune 10 Financial Services Firm
- $15B speciality retailer
- Top 5 private equity firm
- Top 20 private equity firm
- U.S. Intelligence Community Agency
Founder, Viking Vision Consulting
Global Strategy Director, AB InBev
Strategy Director, Mattel
Strategy Senior Manager, Mars, Inc.
Consultant, Bain & Company
MBA, Columbia Business School
BS, Mathematics, The University of Texas at Austin
BA, Economics, The University of Texas at Austin
Representative Projects
- Developed a multi-year regression-based forecast and conducted portfolio analysis to identify growth and margin improvement opportunities for a ~$350M consumer durables business
- Defined and developed the data and analytics service portfolio and supported the Tableau implementation for the largest public healthcare system in the United States
- Developed investor pitch deck for the cosmetics division carve-out of a $600M+ consumer products business
- Led development of the 5-year strategic plan for the Asia Pacific unit of a $4B+ global consumer products company
- At AB InBev, created 10-year total forecast and scenario development tool to support long-range strategic planning and CAPEX investment prioritization
- At Mattel, led diligence and post-acquisition integration efforts of a children’s tablet and software manufacturer
Expertise
Industries
- Consumer Products
- Media & Entertainment
- Packaged Food & Beverage
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Toys & Games
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- Profit Improvement
- Marketing
- Analytics
Representative Clients
Companies
- $350M+ privately held emergency vehicle lighting company
- $600M+ consumer products company
- $48M+ global consumer products company
- NYC Health & Hospitals
Advisor, Redstone Road LLC
Executive, Palantir Technologies
Founder, Pure Growth Partners
Principal, Bain & Company
MBA, Wharton School of Business
BA, Economics, Princeton University
Representative Projects
- Transformed of one of America’s leading luxury brands, resulting in 25% profit uplift, 4x EBITDA increase, and 70% reduction in outstanding debt
- Drove digital transformation of portfolio of media brands, driving >$20MM savings by integrating edit teams, developing new digital products, transforming customer acquisition, and eliminating under-performing publications
- Conducted 30 diligences across multiple industries, ranging from 2 weeks <$100MM to multi-month, multi-billion dollar highly complex acquisitions
- Led diligence process for the Singapore Ministry of Finance to select a best-qualified developer to build the world’s largest casino resort
- Led successful bid for large regional payments processing system, including developing proprietary forecasts for evolution of credit and debit markets, and extensive diligence of legacy internal IT systems
- Developed 100-day plan for successful post-merger integration of two, multi-site heavy industrial manufacturers
- Created new opportunity screen for one of the nation’s leading CPG manufacturers
- Created, launched, and marketed celebrity-backed beverage, from initial concept through formulation, testing, and successful distribution in 40k doors
Expertise
Industries
- Media
- Technology
- Luxury
- Consumer Products
- Retail
- Data & Analytics
- Payments
- Financial Services Technology (Fintech)
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- M&A Strategy
- Marketing
- Business Development
- Organizational Design
- Due Diligence
Representative Clients
Companies
- Meredith Company
- Mack Weldon
- David Webb
- Conde Nast
- Anomaly Corporation
- American Kennel Club
- Dresser-Rand
- Vocativ
- MTV Viacom
- NASDAQ
- SourceMedia
Companies
- Blackstone Group
- Bain Capital
- Advent International
- Warburg Pincus
- Silver Lake
Partner, Startup Capital Ventures
CEO Grassroots Enterprise
CEO WorldPages
BCG – Co-founder of high tech. practice, now largest in firm
Sr. Engineer, Beckman-Coulter
MBA, Stanford University
BS, Electrical Engineering, UC Irvine
Representative Projects
- Led project for Microsoft to develop MSN with Bill Gates
- Co-led project for Disney to develop retail presence (Disney Stores)
- Developed a restaurant model for optimization of size, pricing, hours, etc.
- Led project for Chevron to evaluate larger convenience stores at gas stations
- Led project for Snap-On Tools to evaluate entering aerospace rivet industry
- Led hub & maintenance base strategy for Air Canada
- Led project for ATT to develop it’s first commercial broadband project
- Led project for National Semiconductor to evaluate building a new semi fab in Silicon Valley
Expertise
Industries
- Airline
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- Telecom
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- M&A Strategy
- High Tech
- Startups
- Process Re-engineering
- Turnaround
- Internet Privacy & Policy
Representative Clients
Companies
- Microsoft MSN
- Disney Retail
- Disney Movie Distribution
- Chevron Chemicals
- Chevron C-Stores
- Snap-On Tools
- National Semi
- AT&T
- Westinghouse
- Forte Hotels (UK)
- Hawaii Restaurant
- EPRI
- PG&E
- GM
- Petronas (Malaysia)
Founder, Galileo Preschool
Co-Founder & Director of Strategy, EarlySpark
COO, Identified
PE Associate, H.I.G. Capital
Consultant, BCG
MBA, Stanford University
MA, Education, Stanford University
MS, Comp Sci / Electrical Engineering, M.I.T.
BS, Comp Sci / Electrical Engineering, M.I.T.
Representative Projects
- Created a 5-year roadmap for a global non-profit to solidify their change model and scale their organization
- Implemented a global restructuring of a Fortune 500 company through several worldwide workshops, redesigning the organization layer-by-layer starting with the CEO down to the front-line workers
- Designed and executed a successful sales strategy workshop for Sales VPs and Executive Leadership to boost global revenue
- Conducted multiple PE due diligence projects in the craft, healthcare, manufacturing and transportation spaces
- Developed and implemented the user growth blueprint and analytics platform for a B2C Internet platform
- Designed a large-scale research study (RTC) and secured Stanford faculty to oversee the study and publish the findings
- Developed a profit improvement plan for autobody chain
- Built a growth strategy for a national home décor company
- Designed educational assessments for preschool and elementary school students, following global assessment standards
- Developed a data pricing model for a biotech company
Expertise
Industries
- Consumer Products
- Financial Services
- Manufacturing
- Technology
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- FP&A
- M&A
- Profit Improvement
- Organizational Design
- Due Diligence
Representative Clients
Companies
- Global Fortune 100 Bank
- Fortune 500 Biotech Company
- Fortune 500 Materials Manufacturing Company
- EarlySpark, a global non-profit focused on transforming education in India
- Top Systems, the leading banking systems provider in Latin America
- DCWV, leading paper craft company and numerous acquisition targets
Managing Director, MHT Partners
Senior Consultant, Bain & Company
Communities Product Manager, AOL Netscape
MBA, Stanford
BA, Humanities and Managerial Studies, Rice University
Representative Projects
- Evaluated investment and divestiture opportunities to manage cashflow strategy for a public company in a rapidly consolidating news media industry
- Developed detailed post-merger integration plan to identify operational and financial synergies and to maximize revenue in a $120 million merger of business logistics services companies
- Managed buy side program with multiple add-on acquisitions for SaaS education platform resulting in successful $300 million portfolio exit
- Led due diligence for $100+ million acquisition of a high margin niche business, radically expanding the services portfolio of a tax services company
- Developed valuation model enabling one of largest deals in UK history, a $35 billion merger of global consumer goods conglomerates
- Performed detailed long-term scenario modeling for global beverages M&A during a period of intense industry consolidation, enabling development of growth and defensive strategies for a $5 billion alcoholic beverages producer
- Led profitability study to segment market, prioritize customer base, and evaluate channel economics for a US automotive manufacturer.
- Developed detailed analysis of top 50 acquisition targets for a geopolitical/ macroeconomic think tank influential in governments and institutional investors
Expertise
Industries
- Consumer Products
- Financial Services
- Food and Beverage
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- M&A Strategy
- Due Diligence
- Market Analysis
- Post-merger Integration
- Market Segmentation
Representative Clients
Companies
- Blackboard (Archipelago Learning)
- Freeman Company
- A. H. Belo
- Ryan LLC (tax services)
- Diageo (Guinness)
- FEMSA (Heineken)
- Ford
- Navistar
- Hewlett Packard
- Del Monte Royal
- Norton Rose (law M&A)
PE Firms
- Providence Equity Partners
- Carlyle Group
- BV Investment
- Castanea Partners
- JH Whitney
Independent Consultant, Estee Lauder Companies and Macy’s
Director, What If Innovation
Principal, Bain & Company
Consultant, Bridgespan Group
MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
BA, Public Policy, Brown University
Representative Projects
- Led development of a full potential growth strategy for ~$700M PE owned consumer products company to drive increased profitability
- Created global supply chain strategy for multi-branded clothing retailer
- Developed growth and channel strategy for a growing media business
- Generated consumer insights for consumer health business in the pain category
- Developed an innovation roadmap for <$100M PE-owned consumer products company to drive category expansion
- Designed new salesforce strategy for a major pharmaceuticals company
- Created full potential growth strategy for the US division of a global HR services business
- Led implementation of a digitally-oriented customer loyalty strategy for retailer
- Drove transformation program focused on organization, process, and technology for multi-branded beauty company
- Built an omnichannel growth strategy for department store chain
- Managed a successful post-merger integration effort within the research and advisory industry
Expertise
Industries
- Advertising & Media
- Consumer Products
- Pharmaceuticals
- Retail
- Technology
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- Innovation
- Transformation
- Process Improvement
- Organizational Design
- Customer Loyalty
Representative Clients
Companies
- Yankee Candle
- ThinkThin
- Estee Lauder
- Sanofi
- HP
- Warner Music Group
- Macy’s
- Liz Claiborne
- Pfizer
- Sirius Radio (pre XM merger)
- Manhattan Mini Storage
- Adecco Group
PE Firms
- TSG Consumer
- Madison Dearborn Partners
- Worked in Bain’s Private Equity Group early in career
- Founder, Wander New Mexico
- Case Team Leader, Bain & Company
- Associate, Good Harbor Consulting
- Senior Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton
- BS, Economics, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Representative Projects
- Developed a strategy to accelerate company growth and maximize exit valuation multiples for a ~$300M metal manufacturer
- Developed a growth strategy for a ~$200M online consumer loan business
- Created a roadmap for a ~$40M publisher to improve profitability and pursue new strategic growth opportunities
- Developed a growth strategy for a hydraulic seal manufacturer
- Developed a 5-year value creation plan for a ~$600M wine distributor in Canada post acquisition by a PE fund
- Led team of big data analysts in customer churn root cause analysis for Fortune 500 SaaS business. Analyzed massive amounts of data from nine corporate databases to identify $30M in customer retention improvement opportunities.
- Designed and implemented capital projects prioritization system for energy company, resulting in savings of $15 million
- Re-engineered procurement processes for leading energy company, resulting in improved supplier relationship management and expenditure planning
Expertise
Industries
- Aerospace/Defense
- Consumer Products
- Economic Development
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- Public Sector
- Retail
- Technology
- Tourism/Hospitality
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- Profit Improvement
- Marketing
- Process Optimization
- Organizational Design
- NPS/Customer Insights
Representative Clients
Companies
- Arterra Wines
- PDC
- Best Egg
- Publishing Concepts
- Fortune 50 IT hardware company
- Fortune 100 software company
- Gulf region National Oil Company
PE Firms
- Ontario Teachers
- Anchor Partners
- CDO, LA Promise Fund
- Manager, Mattel Corp. Strat.
- Consultant, Bain & Company
- Business Advisor, Peace Corps
- Analyst, JP Morgan
- MBA, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania
- BA, Business Economics, Brown University
Representative Projects
- Developed a three-year strategic plan for a financial services client (1.5 years+) with ~$45B in managed assets. Worked on product development, strategic planning, advisor productivity, Salesforce effectiveness, and organizational design engagements
- Completed five acquisitions for a PE-backed industrial goods company. Identified targets in adjacent markets, led prospecting, and prepared investment memorandums
- Identified additional revenue opportunities for a leading ridesharing platform by assessing the market size of the music and sporting event industries
- Led strategy and implementation of key organizational turnaround initiatives at LA’s largest charter (~$200M) network of 25 schools
- Analyzed and prioritized 50+ R&D investments for a ~$64B beverage company
- Conducted due diligence for an automobile manufacturer acquiring a large RV competitor. Acquisition was the largest transaction in the company’s history
- Analyzed competitors and industry trends to create a competitive intelligence report for a leading cruise company
Expertise
Industries
- Automotive
- Consumer Products
- Financial Services
- Food and Beverage
- Industrials
- Nonprofits
- Private Equity
- Retail
- Tourism/Hospitality
- Transportation Services
Project Types
- Growth Strategy
- M&A Strategy
- Market Intelligence
- GTM Strategy
- Organizational Design
- Due Diligence
Representative Clients
- Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
- AlphaSights
- Aramsco
- Ares
- Authen Activewear
- Avantax Wealth Management
- ChromoLogic
- Financial Recovery Technologies
- Pepsi
- Singer
- Uber
- Viking Cruises
- Winnebago