Marco Kesteloo
Partner
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A Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Retail and Consumer Goods practice, Marco has over three decades of consulting experience. Having worked across a broad range of retail formats – including grocery, non-food, on- and offline, DIY, home furnishing, and more – in the areas of strategy, commercial and operational transformation, and operating model design for global and regional retail clients, Marco brings a wealth of knowledge to his client teams. In addition to retail, he has extensive experience in food and logistics industry.

Across his varied work, what really drives Marco is having clear insight into the impact his team is making. Reflecting on previous projects, a moment that stood out to Marco was when he spoke with a client who still remembered the work that he delivered a full decade later. 

I had a conversation with a client, who we had done a transformation project for more than 10 years ago. Despite the project being a long time ago, he was still talking about the impact we achieved back then: how it had fundamentally changed their work and how it had helped them become more competitive.

Looking to the future, Marco anticipates that the fundamental changes facing the retail and consumer goods industry will keep coming.  The shift to multichannel, the role of brick and mortar stores, and automation, in combination with the recent developments following the COVID-19 virus, has resulted in a lot of uncertainty, he says. “Most companies that want to get ahead of the game, must take new themes and challenges into account. It’s important to find out if the consumer behavior has only changed temporarily or permanently.” Where the industry used to operate at a global level, Marco notes, the long supply chains are now being shortened, to enable more local commerce.

Marco sees enormous value in a consulting experience, whether it be for a few years or a life-long career. “As a consultant, you’re deeply involved in a project for a limited amount of time. I always see consulting as a marathon of sprints, which is challenging at times but rewarding all the time.” Noting the importance of finding balance in a demanding career, Marco recommends making health, family, and hobbies a priority.

Prior to beginning his career in consulting, Marco earned a BBA from Nyenrode Business School and an MBA from the University of Georgia.