Daniel—a partner with Kearney’s ATI practice, who has focused largely on shipbuilding—is a trained computer engineer and self-described tinkerer. He said that his love of detail can bring a new perspective to clients.

During one of his favorite projects, Daniel worked with a government agency that wanted to buy a new ship but felt limited by skyrocketing prices. The agency had tried many ways to save money but seemed stuck paying a big bill. But Daniel had an idea.

“We helped them figure how to structure a design contest between the incumbents and another shipyard, which was hungry for business,” Daniel said. “We helped them challenge the way that they were thinking about the ship design, which allowed the other shipyard to become a lot more competitive. Ultimately, it reduced the government’s costs by 20 percent.”

Daniel loved that this project allowed him to get into the weeds of technical details, work closely with clients, and find a solution that was less expensive while not compromising on quality. He felt that his work made a big impact on the client.

“I like coming up with innovative ideas and new ways to approach things,” Daniel said. “And especially with the supply chain risk management, which is like the Wild West. There are lots of different ideas that are floating around.”

As a consultant, Daniel believes that he can drop into any situation and thrive. Early in his career, he pushed himself to work with many types of people and projects. The discomfort of pushing himself has been essential for his progression as a consultant, he said.

Others have taken notice of Daniel’s growth. In 2015, he was named one of Consultant Magazine’s Top 35 Under 35. He has also been recognized as Father of the Year by Working Mother magazine and won a Project Leader Award at Kearney.

In his consulting career, Daniel hopes to create many great relationships with clients. Ultimately, he wants to help create one of the next big accounts at Kearney, taking a smaller client and helping them grow and expand their business, and at the same time expand Kearney’s role with them.

“Nobody has the perfect answer, but I think that we have the expertise to build something because we are bread-and-butter supply chain experts,” Daniel said. “I want to push in that area and create something that’s really going to resonate.”