Meet Chicago Leaders

Marin Gjaja, senior partner and managing director, is head of BCG’s Chicago and Minneapolis offices. Marin joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1996 after completing a PhD in cognitive and neural systems at Boston University. He also graduated magna cum laude from Princeton with a BS in engineering and operations research.

Marin is active in the Consumer, Health Care and Public Education practice areas.  He currently serves as the global leader for the consumer products sector and leads the Chicago Health Care practice.

Prior to joining BCG, Marin worked as a research assistant for Boston University. He was also a member of the U.S. Men’s Volleyball Team from 1991–1992. Marin enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, and playing sports.

Matt Krentz, senior partner and managing director, is a member of BCG’s Senior Officer Selection Committee as well as the Officer Development Committee.

Matt joined BCG as an associate in 1983.  He subsequently earned an MBA at Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and returned to BCG as a consultant in 1987.  Matt also holds a BA in economics, cum laude, from Yale.

Matt is a member of the Consumer and Retail practice area. He has worked with clients in diverse industries, including consumer goods, retail, and office products.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys tennis, skiing, karaoke, and keeping up with his children.

Larry Shulman joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1979. For ten years, he was the managing director of BCG’s Chicago office and the North American Central region. He has also been responsible for BCG’s operations in Australia and Latin America. Larry was previously the global leader of BCG’s Strategy practice.

Larry has extensive experience in the management of diversified global businesses focusing on both corporate and business unit strategies. He is the coauthor of Competing on Capabilities: The New Rules of Corporate Strategy, with George Stalk and Philip Evans, as well as Management Lessons of Premium Conglomerates, and Capitalizing on Anomalies.

Larry holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He holds a BA in political science and English from Brown and has also completed graduate work in communications at the Annenberg School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In his leisure time, Larry enjoys naval history, fine wines, and classic movies.

Michael Silverstein joined the Boston Consulting Group in 1980.  He has served in a number of leadership roles, most recently as leader of BCG’s client service initiative and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  Michael was formerly the global leader of BCG’s consumer practice and is an expert in consumer behavior and the consumer-driven economy.

In addition to his client work, Michael is co-author, with Neil Fiske, of the best-selling 2003 title, Trading Up. In 2006, he published the sequel, Treasure Hunt.  Michael launched Women Want More in 2009. His latest book, The $10 Trilion Prize, shows how companies can capitalize on the biggest growth opportunities in the global consumer business: the newly affluent consumers in China and India.

Prior to joining BCG, Michael worked for United Press International, first as a reporter and later in new product development.  He holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a BA in economics and history from Brown University.

In his leisure time, Michael enjoys running, golf, photography, and cooking.  He is a member of Chicago’s Goodman Theatre Board.

Hal Sirkin has been with The Boston Consulting Group for 28 years. He has extensive operations experience across a wide range of topics and industries in locations all around the world. Hal has held a number of firm leadership roles, including serving as global leader of the Operations practice, global leader of the E-commerce and Information Technology practice, North American leader of the Travel and Tourism practice, and North American leader of the Operations practice.

In addition to his client work, Hal is coauthor of Globality: Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything published by Hachette Books in 2008, and also coauthor of Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation, with Jim Andrew. He is a monthly columnist for Business Week Online's Managing Channel and a monthly columnist for the New York Times syndicate. Hal has authored a wide range of articles for periodicals such as Harvard Business Review, Industry Week, The President, and the Journal of Business Strategy.

Hal earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, where he was first in his class, and a bachelor’s degree from Wharton, summa cum laude. He is also a certified public accountant.

In his leisure time, Hal enjoys running and hiking with his wife and two adult children.

Lucy joined the Boston Consulting Group in 1997. She earned an MBA from Stanford, where she was named an Arjay Miller Scholar. She also graduated, summa cum laude, from Wharton with a BS in economics.

Lucy currently leads BCG's recruiting efforts for North America and is part of the women's initiative leadership team. In client work, she works primarily with consumer goods and retail clients.

Prior to joining BCG, Lucy was a consultant with Monitor and an assistant marketing manager with General Mills. In her leisure time, Lucy enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid professional and college sports enthusiast.

John Garabedian joined BCG in 1997. He is the leader of BCG's Financial Services practice in the Americas. At BCG, John works with banking, insurance and asset management firms on strategy and operational issues. Before joining the firm, John was a vice president for Gemini Consulting, where he was the North American Financial Services practice leader. He also worked in strategic planning at Continental Bank.

John holds an MM degree, with concentrations in finance and management policy, from Kellogg, and a BS in accounting, magna cum laude, from Frostburg State University.

John’s interests include basketball, golf, and spending time with his wife, Rebecca, and their two young daughters.

Paul Gordon leads the Industrial Goods practice area in the Americas, and formerly led the Operations practice in the Americas. Paul joined the London office of The Boston Consulting Group as an associate in 1985 before moving to the Chicago office in 1988.

Paul earned an MA with first class honors in engineering from Cambridge University, where he was a senior scholar and a national engineering scholar. Before joining BCG, he worked for the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority.

In his leisure time, Paul competes in triathlons.

Gerry Hansell is the Americas Leader for the Corporate Development Practice. At BCG, Gerry has worked with a variety of industrial and consumer products companies on issues of corporate development, strategy, growth, and operational effectiveness.

Before joining BCG, Gerry was a financial analyst for Morgan Stanley in New York and Australia, focusing on M&A and corporate finance in the chemicals and energy industries. Gerry holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA in chemistry, magna cum laude, from Haverford College.

Gerry’s hobbies include his three sons, fishing, old Corvettes, and investing.