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ON THE MOVE DPS GROUP ANNOUNCES HELGA SALLING TRAORE AS NEW VICE PRESIDENT FOR USA STRATEGIC CONSULTING BUSINESS UNIT Helga Salling Traore, a recognized leader in the life sciences sector in the United States and Europe, has been appointed vice president of strategic consulting USA for DPS Group . In her new role, Traore will be responsible for growing the DPS consulting business and expanding the team in the Americas, reporting directly to Sue Cooke, managing director, global strategic consulting. Cooke commented: “I am delighted that somebody with Helga Salling Traore’s capability, experience and track record is joining DPS and I have no doubt Helga will play a major role in the expansion of our consulting business in the United States.” Traore said after her appointment: “I have been very impressed with the way DPS Group has grown its business globally in recent years and feel the company ethos and agile and
client focused culture is the perfect basis from which to successfully grow this business and offer more extensive support to our life science clients. I am very excited to work with Sue and our team to grow the consulting business.” TraorejoinsDPSGroupfromAdventEngineering where she was vice president of operations for the Eastern Region United States and Canada. Previously she held senior leadership positions with NNE (a subsidiary of Novo Nordisk), Labflex, AKVA Group Denmark, and AN Group. Traore holds a master’s degree in engineering and industrial management from the University of Aalborg is Denmark with post graduate training in business law, business economics and marketing. A native of Denmark, Helga has lived in the United States for seven years and lives with her family in Cary, North Carolina. DPS Group is a leading engineering and
construction firm with a focus on the life sciences and semiconductor sectors. DPS delivers services for clients across the complete engineering and construction value chain including feasibility studies, concepts, architecture, engineering, procurement, construction management, commissioning, qualification, and validation. DPS Group has applied its extensive process engineering expertise for more than 40 years, as well as significant Lean Construction experience to assist clients in high-end process sectors such as pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices and semiconductors deliver their manufacturing facilities speedily, safely, and cost effectively. DPS Group has grown substantially in recent years and now employs more than 1,300 people in our offices and on client sites in Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, Singapore, and the United States.
STEPHEN LUCY, from page 9
health and longevity of your firm. And the cost is minimal versus the value added to the firm. 4)Staff development. Is your existing staff what you need to achieve your future goals? Or has your firm settled into a comfort zone where everyone holds the same views or has grown stagnant? It is incumbent to evaluate your staff and determine gaps that need to be filled by additional training, acquisition of new talent or termination of underperformers. Bringing in outsiders or advancing top performing younger staff might stir things up and send the messages that creative thinking and taking greater risks are ways to succeed and grow. There is also the tremendous value of mentoring your team. Most of us can point to our past internal and external men- tors who helped guide our careers, but are we providing the same opportunities to our developing leaders? Helping your rising stars connect with those mentors can lead to network- ing opportunities you may not have even considered. 5)Managing expectations. Set clear expectations and goals for your team. If you don’t, they will provide their own and you and your team will never get on the same page. By establish- ing a known playing field for your staff, you will clearly estab- lish both your and their expectations for the year. It is equally important to manage your clients’ expectations. Bad news? Prepare them and explain it. Promise to follow-up promptly? Do it and don’t delay. Your follow-through and that of your team should be integral to how you intend to op- erate and be a differentiator when it comes to competing for client loyalty. Finally, be open to change. Be open to improvement. Evaluate where you are, how you can improve, rank yourself and your team, and then start to methodically work through every way you want to perform better. What better time to evaluate your firm than with the start of a new year? STEPHEN LUCY is CEO of JQ with offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Lubbock, Texas. Contact him at slucy@jqeng.com.
Do you show appreciation for their business? Think about all those things you don’t like that others do and then review how your team measures up. Also, ask your team for input as you may be surprised at what they say. 2)Internal client experience. All those items that are impor- tant to an external client are just as important to an internal client. We say that our most valuable asset is our staff, but do we treat them as if that is true and as if each position is es- sential to the firm? That’s not to say that the CEO should be washing dishes in the breakroom, but all staff must recognize the contributions of others within the firm. Leadership must set the example and younger staff need to see that your leadership team is engaged. The future of your firm is probably within your existing staff, and you need to nurture and protect that value. “Be open to change. Be open to improvement. Evaluate where you are, how you can improve, rank yourself and your team, and then start to methodically work through every way you want to perform better.” 3)Public relations. It is surprising to me how few companies use public relations to establish and reinforce their brand. Many firms simply rely on a brand based on the partners’ rep- utations. These “cult of personality” firms typically have self- limiting opportunities as you either love or hate the leader. The purpose of public relations as related to competitive advantage lies in how you express your story about your projects and your people, and how you promote your entity so that it maintains a life of its own, long after your current partners retire. That type of brand identity is essential to the
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THE ZWEIG LETTER March 19, 2018, ISSUE 1240
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