Alumni Profile: Franklin L. Feder of Alcoa

Today: President of Alcoa Latin America, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In this new position, Frank will oversee Alcoa's businesses in South America, coordinate expansion activities in the region, and work with government officials and local communities. His two initial challenges: first, simplifying and rationalizing the region's organizational structure and aligning its resources with Alcoa's global operations and second, supporting significant future growth and capital investment in the region.

Franklin Feder

At Booz Allen & Before: Frank was a Vice President in Booz Allen's Sao Paulo office from 1989 to 1990. He joined Alcoa Aluminio in 1990, serving first as its Director of Corporate Planning and later as its Chief Financial Officer. In 1999, Frank relocated to the United States, where he joined Alcoa's Corporate Development Group; in 2001 he was appointed Vice President — Analysis and Planning. He has also held high-level positions at Technomic Consultores, a management consultancy, and Adela Investment Company, a private development bank, both in Sao Paulo. He holds an MBA degree from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Do you feel that Booz Allen created a strong foundation for your new position? Absolutely. Prior to joining Booz Allen, my perspective was narrower. My work there taught me a lot about integrating strategy, operations, and technology — and about mobilizing these different functional areas to enable companies and organizations to implement change. The interdependence of the firm's different practices was key. Booz Allen effectively contributed to my development by broadening my understanding of what it takes to make a company or organization successful. This has helped me in all my transitions.

The raw talent of the people I met at the firm was another factor in my professional growth. The quality of Booz Allen's people, their energy and enthusiasm, really impressed me. The firm reinforced for me the power that people with talent and energy can bring to different situations — and what a difference that power can make. I believe I brought this with me when I moved into my roles at Alcoa in Latin America and, subsequently, when I transferred to the United States.

What skills and strengths did you acquire at Booz Allen? I think I gained a strong appreciation for the concept of delivering results that endure. This concept was more important to me than any specific skill or knowing how to write a report or learning a new form of analysis. Since leaving Booz Allen, I've had the opportunity to work with other management consulting companies. I've found that Booz Allen's commitment to actually delivering results that persist and have practical day-to-day applications really does set it apart.

Developing results for clients that stand the test of time — this idea has really stayed with me. For example, Booz Allen in Brazil has made major contributions to the entire country and region. The firm has helped shape the structure and dynamics of Brazil's steel industry through work that's still evident today. This is true for the chemical and automotive industries as well. Cultivating long-standing relationships with a company or industry is so important. In my work at Alcoa, the ability to assume a long-term perspective has been very helpful.

Would you recommend working at Booz Allen? Absolutely, yes. Why? There are a couple of dimensions. First, it's a great institution. We're not talking about a company that's been recently created based on some trend or business opportunity. There are deep roots, there is a tradition of excellence, of making a difference, of ensuring continuity.

Second, I believe that Booz Allen attracts and retains a specific class of people that is distinctly different from other classic management consulting firms. It has a great commercial practice and a great government practice. It brings together folks from many different disciplines. But there is a distinct quality connected to its results orientation. I've typically found Booz Allen's findings to be far more pragmatic, down to earth, and applicable compared to the work of other firms. Yet, at the same time, a conceptual strategy discussion with someone from Booz Allen will match that of any of the classic firms.

Again, for me, it's the ability to translate and generate results that gives Booz Allen an advantage. The breadth of areas within the firm's commercial and government practices gives someone thinking about a consulting career a wealth of alternatives that you won't find at a boutique firm. The breadth of experience you can gain regionally is also huge.

Is there any favorite Booz Allen experience you'd like to share? More than any single experience, I remember the people at Booz Allen. The managing partner in my time was Oscar Bernardes. Not coincidentally, he is now on Alcoa Latin America's Advisory Board, and so he and I will be working together again.

Any advice for newcomers? I would tell them to do whatever it takes to make sure they're over delivering quality results to their clients. That's the key to long-term relationships and a successful career within the firm. It's about making a difference for the client by delivering results that persist — and that flows from quality. I'd also advise anyone starting out to take advantage of the other talent in the firm. Network, connect, participate in meetings, in teams — not only in your practice area or location, but across the globe.

The firm offers great opportunities to meet talented people and it's important to learn as much as you can from them. Of course, the clever person reading this will say, "Frank, how am I supposed to do all this? You've said I should over deliver and focus on quality — but if I do, I'm not going to have a lot of time." But that's precisely the kind of challenge that someone coming to Booz Allen will have the talent to manage.

profile posted February 11, 2005