Meet Our Leadership: Erin Anderson, COO and Associate Partner

At AG Consulting Partners, we value the growth and career development of everyone on our team and recognize this starts with a transparent and supportive leadership. Our AGCP Leadership Spotlight series sheds light on the work and experiences of our leadership team, providing a glimpse of who we are as a company and how we stand out in the consulting industry.

For the first installment of our AGCP Leadership Spotlight series, we spoke with our Chief Operating Officer and Associate Partner, Erin Anderson. She brings a varied background across industries and consulting with experience as a woman in tech.

The Journey of a Consulting Career

As the COO of our company, Erin’s responsibilities span across internal operations, people development, business development and client delivery. With more than 18 years of experience, Erin considers herself a career consultant, in spirit and profession – which is to say she thrives when given the opportunity to tackle new challenges.

“By the time I accepted a position at AGCP, I’d worked at nine other companies over the course of thirteen years. I found my first consulting job at Accenture on the advice of a mentor, who suggested a career in consulting might be an answer to my cycle of elective job changes every couple of years. He was right and I was hooked.”

Erin eventually left Accenture for Microsoft and then eventually left Microsoft to start her own nutrition practice and pursue her passion for health and wellness. As time passed, Erin ultimately felt called back to the variety and fast pace of the consulting world,

“I missed the variety of opportunities in the consulting environment and the fast pace of the tech industry. I found my way back in 2015 with AG Consulting Partners. I’ve been here longer than any other job in my career.”

Women in Technology

In today’s competitive workforce, women have unique challenges in developing their careers. Erin feels she rarely encounters barriers in the tech industry, yet she is aware of the inherent struggles women face due to the pressures of societal norms.

“These are just some of the challenges I see women struggle with daily in the tech industry and really, corporate work in general. Women must feel empowered to ask for what we want in the workplace, seek to drive action, and keep learning. Professionalism, positivity, introspection, and tons of hard work have helped me overcome the struggles I’ve faced. I never accepted that there was a role or job I couldn’t get.”

Erin’s experiences taught her that a great career isn’t necessarily a linear and upward progression toward achieving a certain title or number in a bank account. While she recognizes these are valid goals, she believes the desire for challenge, continual growth and learning builds a more fulfilling career. Aggregate experiences become foundations for the unique value and perspective each consultant brings to their peers and clients.

“If we focus on the collection of experiences from learning new skills, gaining wisdom, and discovering ourselves — success and happiness follow. Seek growth and find satisfaction in the daily process. Then, find a new adventure when you are no longer growing.”

Erin’s passion for learning and growth shows in her work and daily interactions with clients and peers. She attributes her tenure at AGCP to the limitless learning opportunities she’s had, the excitement of our business, and our people and clients most of all. Before concluding our interview, Erin shared some valuable advice for women who are established or just getting started in consulting.

“Seize opportunity. Even if you don’t think you’re ready. I often hear that as women, our natural tendency is to wait to feel ready before accepting a new, challenging role. Men are more likely to seize the opportunity and worry about figuring it out later. When you are given an opportunity to stretch yourself, take it. In those uncomfortable times where you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing, that’s when you’ll learn the most valuable lessons about who you are and what you’re really capable of.”

At AG Consulting Partners, we believe in taking care of our people first to enable them to bring their best to every client project. Our employees embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and embody our core values: transparency, stewardship, and intention. Founded in 2009, and headquartered in the Greater Seattle area, AG Consulting Partners is recognized as one of Inc 5000 and Puget Sound Business Journal’s fastest growing private companies.