Kevin Acker is a widely traveled international consultant in the fields
of corporate development, strategy, planning and product development
with a knack for high-level strategic thinking and scoping and
implementing innovative new products and services.
Kevin Acker has served since 2004 as Practice Manager, Product
Development and Innovation in the IT Practice of the Corporate
Executive Board, a Washington, D.C., membership-based firm that
provides best-practices research, decision support services and
executive education to corporate executives.
Kevin Acker's responsibilities at Corporate Executive Board include
leading product development and quantitative research for the IT
Practice. The firm boasts a member base of senior IT executives at more
than 1, 000 companies, including most of the Fortune 500.
As practice manager for Corporate Executive Board, Kevin Acker led the
development of a number of key products and services, including:
• A benchmarking service focused on IT budget and
spending metrics;
• The IT Practice Platinum and Gold Portals, websites
offering exclusive services to the firm's most important clients;
• The Vendor Knowledge Exchange, an online service
targeted at collecting vendor ratings and facilitating vendor-related
networking conversations among members; and
• The IT-Business Alignment Diagnostic, a
survey-based service designed to gauge the extent to which IT strategy
supports business needs.
Kevin Acker has also led several quantitative research projects at the
firm. Examples include measuring how competency in the IT function
impacts corporate performance, and gauging the most effective ways to
increase secure IT behavior among end-users, a study that involved
surveying more than 20, 000 individuals around the world.
Between '01 and '03, Kevin Acker worked as an independent consultant.
During that time, he conducted strategy, finance and organizational
consulting projects in a variety of industries. One project called for
a strategy review and restructuring of the Australian operations of an
electronic security and cash-in-transit services firm. Kevin Acker
analyzed profitability by customer size and industry, and then
redesigned the sales and marketing organization to address the most
attractive market segments. He also helped the organization improve its
structure and identify redundancies.
While an independent consultant, Kevin Acker also created a financial
and accounting organizational framework for a Los Angeles-based CLEC
focused on marketing to the Latino community. Kevin Acker helped
determine the appropriate financial accounting system; he also and
redesigned the organizational structure for the finance and accounting
staff.
From '00 to '01, Kevin Acker served as Corporate Development
V.P./Acting CFO and then CFO with USLaw.com, a Washington, DC
area-based marketing partner for small law firms and legal reference
Web site for consumers. During his time with USLaw.com, Kevin Acker
prepared a private placement memorandum for a $15MM equity offering. In
addition, Kevin Acker guided the company through a restructuring, which
included reducing the headcount, renegotiating vendor contracts and
transforming the company's cost structure to break-even, facilitating a
venture capitalist-led takeover.
From 1998 to '00, Kevin Acker worked in director-level strategic
planning and corporate development positions for Startec Global
Communications, a telecommunications and Internet service provider
headquartered in Bethesda, Md. He led several acquisitions and
spearheaded the company's business expansion efforts in East Asia
through extensive on-site work in Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan. While
there, Kevin Acker developed strategies for the company to offer
Internet transport, VOIP and collocation services in region. He also
negotiated the acquisition of a Hong Kong telecommunications provider.
Prior to joining Startec, Kevin Acker served with ATX
Telecommunications, Philadelphia, Pa., as Manager of Strategic and
Financial Planning. From '97 to '98, his accomplishments include
leading a team to pursue a joint venture with a cable television
company to provide Competitive Local Exchange Carrier services, and
creating, implementing and managing the company's strategic planning
process.
Kevin Acker gained valuable experience from '95 to '97 with William
Kent International, a Washington, D.C.-based management consulting firm
that specializes in strategy development and investment for Fortune
1000 companies. As a Consultant, he conducted a business restructuring
for a $250 million division of an abrasives manufacturer, centering on
the redesign of the company's product offerings, inventory management
system and sales policies. His recommendations became a cornerstone of
the client CEO's five-year strategic plan. He also directed a
market-assessment study for a $2 billion manufacturer of contact
lenses, lens care and ophthalmic pharmaceutical products in Argentina,
Brazil and Mexico.
Kevin Acker earned a Master's degree with honors in business
administration from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He
holds a Bachelor's degree in government from Dartmouth College,
graduating in the top 10% of his class, where he served as
editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth, the nation's oldest college newspaper.
Kevin Acker's hobbies include modern art and design, hiking, mountain
biking, classical music and high-end audio equipment. He has traveled
in 37 countries, and has worked in such countries as Hong Kong, South
Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, U.K.,
Norway and Pakistan.
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