Then, to his surprise Bill got a call from McKinsey. The recruiter asked him if he was interested in creating a marketing program for the “preeminent” consulting firm. He said no. They called back a few months later. This time he said yes. It was time, he thought, to re-enter the private sector. And to broaden his experience selling ephemeral things. “There was no job description. I decided not to try to impose some sort of marketing strategy worldwide. Instead I found 20 partners in different countries who were ready to make things happen and had something to say.” Two years after joining McKinsey Bill was elected a partner. For almost two decades he was responsible for advancing McKinsey’s reputation and protecting its brand. In doing so he worked closely with many of his colleagues worldwide. He was also responsible for McKinsey’s internal communications. This included the creation of McKinsey’s systems to manage and disseminate its practice knowledge.

In 1999 Bill left McKinsey to join Mitchell Madison Group, a strategy consulting firm. He helped to take the firm public through its sale to USWeb/CKS. He then joined The Boston Consulting Group, where he headed for over five years a group responsible for integrating innovation, marketing and communications. Bill worked closely with several of BCG’s thought leaders to develop their ideas and turn them into consulting assignments. After retiring from BCG he founded The Glass House Group, a consulting firm that helps professional services firms on branding and marketing issues.

Bill is a graduate of Phillips Andover (1964), Harvard College (B.A. Literature, 1968) and Harvard Business School (M.B.A., 1975). He and his wife, Pamela, live in New Canaan, Connecticut in a glass house designed by Philip Johnson (the Boissonnas house). The house and their renovation of it have been featured in several magazines and newspapers including Town and Country, Metropolitan Home, and The New York Times. Their current interests include contemporary Chinese painting (black ink on paper) and “as much good wine as their budget and health can tolerate.”

For many years Bill was on the board of trustees of United Way of America and United Way International. He is now on the board of trustees of First Book and a senior advisor to Ashoka, an organization that invests in social entrepreneurs. He remains interested in the management and marketing of professional services firms and social marketing. “Marketing,” he says, “can help us make real progress against complex, multi-stakeholder challenges. Don’t become a finance guy. You can have much more impact and fun as a marketer.”