John MacIntosh

Partner, Seachange Capital Partners
B.S. Engineering, Princeton University
M.Sc. Philosophy and Public Policy, London School of Economics

On deferring my start date to go to work in Japan:
I got an offer from Oliver Wyman straight out of university, and I told them that I really wanted to go work in Japan for a year or two. Alex Oliver said, “Terrific!” We never had anything on paper. I came back after a year and shook his hand. I had a ponytail and a beard, and he looked me in the eye and said, “Well, I do expect you’ll have taken care of your appearance before you join.” So a year later, I shaved and showed up for my first day. The point is that Oliver Wyman views its people as individuals. When I proposed going to Japan, they were supportive and helpful.

On learning by doing:
When I joined the firm, there were always resources ready and willing to help you out, from your peers to more senior partners. You need to have the confidence and willingness to knock on people’s doors and say “Hey, this is what I don’t know, and do you know it or can you point me towards someone who does?” And that’s really the approach at Oliver Wyman, and it’s a method that works well pretty much anywhere you go. Oliver Wyman has always fostered a spirit of self-reliance, and a culture where if you worked hard and knew what you were doing (or weren’t afraid to ask), it didn’t matter how old you were or what was on your resume. You could progress and grow.

On Oliver Wyman’s success:
It’s amazing how the company has grown to me from the outside. Let’s face it, in consulting, there’s no secret sauce, no special formula. Your assets go up and down in the elevator every day. And to have grown so quickly and so successfully, it must be because Alex Oliver and Bill Wyman had, at heart, a very good idea.

On intellect and curiosity:
When I was at Oliver Wyman, the twin currencies of the realm were intellect and curiosity. We tried to hire really smart people, and people who were curious to learn. If you had those attributes, the fact that you hadn’t studied business or known much about accounting was quickly remedied.

On being a good citizen:
Alex Oliver, who was the prime mover behind the firm in the early 90s, always encouraged us to do not just our day job, but to do other things as well, things that made us good firm citizens, or perhaps even good citizens more broadly. For example, on the firm level, in addition to being a consultant, I was also the head of IT, so I was contributing to the firm on a different level. And I’ve always been involved in the non-profit world in some way. We did the Corporate Challenge at the firm, and were involved in the Students Sponsor Partnership. And that outreach has extended into my personal life, and finally, into my career at Seachange Capital Partners.