At Simon-Kucher, creating opportunities is central to how we grow, collaborate, and make an impact. In this personal reflection, Robert Dumitrescu, Senior Partner, Member of the Board, and Practice Head of Pharma & Biotech, shares how opportunity has shaped his career and continues to define his leadership today.
From his first steps in consulting to leading one of our most dynamic global practices, Robert’s journey shows that opportunity is never just about personal advancement. It is about recognizing possibilities, helping others take bold steps, and building paths that did not exist before. Here’s his reflection:
“When we first started talking about the power of opportunity, I went back and checked the original values we had been working with for so long. Wasn’t opportunity already a part of our DNA? Wasn’t it already one of our values? It wasn’t. Opportunity wasn’t an explicit value before. Yet, somehow it was always there, part of our value proposition, wrapped up in entrepreneurialism and enabled by our growth story.
There is a natural way to think about opportunity, and it is not wrong. You think about opportunity for yourself: your personal opportunity. Many of us, partners, associates, and central functions team members, have experienced this in our company: the opportunity to set a career path, develop unique skills, try something new, become the best at what we do, and add value to our clients and teams. It is part of our culture. You can take on new responsibilities. Your contributions matter. And you can grow and progress in your career. Why not become a manager? Why not become a partner?
We are often told that opportunities appear out of nowhere, and that we should simply seize them. Sometimes they do. But I am not sure if we always recognize them as opportunities at the time. A personal story from my side, and I think many of you will relate: one of our company’s founders, Eckhard, once told me when I was a junior first-year consultant: “Why don’t you go to Paris? Why don’t you help build the team there, maybe even grow the business a little?” I didn’t think much of it. What could I really do as a junior consultant? I just thought it would be fun. I didn’t realize it would become my next decade and a half at the firm. At the time, I didn’t see it as an opportunity at all. I took it for granted, assuming that it is simply how things worked. But looking back, I know this story reflects the experience of many colleagues in our company.
We should not take for granted that we are in a place where these opportunities exist for all of us. It comes back to our growth. Growth is the engine of opportunity. But more importantly, individual opportunity here does not come at the expense of others. It does not limit anyone else’s path. That is incredibly meaningful for me, and it is made possible by our growth.
Still, I think there is another dimension we must consider. It is not only about my opportunity or your opportunity. It is about the opportunities we create for each other. That is the most rewarding part. That is how I interpret this value: as you grow, you help others grow. This effect multiplies. It is exponential. When you become a manager, you create opportunities for new hires. When you become a partner, you might help build a service line, grow a new geography, or develop a vertical. In doing so, you create opportunities for consultants, managers, and future partners. As you take on new roles in a central functions team, you might begin to lead a team and become responsible for everyone’s opportunities.
So, let us not think of opportunity only as personal opportunity. Let us recognize it as part of our purpose. We are all searching for purpose in our work, and it comes back to impact. Our purpose is, of course, to create value for our clients. But I believe our purpose is also to create opportunities for each other.”