27 Egon Zehnder International Interview Questions & Answers

"I was hired to my current role as GM of _______ to be a change manager for our Devices business. Historically, our business operated on a model of having inventory in place at all costs - this drove the business to airship 58% of the +90M units we sold in 2021. This was certainly a unique year with many manufacturing and supply chain challenges, but it also served to highlight the costs that were being incurred and not properly managed. I was hired with the goal to cut our air shipments in half. To do this effectively, I determined we needed to do three things: 1. Change the culture of "cost acceptance" throughout our organization, 2. Create an air approval process that treated this decision as a "defect" vs default, and 3. We needed to create a new ordering system that weighed the costs of supply chain decisions against the costs of being out of stock. #1 was mostly the soft side of change management influencing senior stakeholders throughout the organization. I was able to do this effectively by constantly highlighting the cost of every decision that was being considered - something that was surprisingly not done previously. 2nd was a mechanism I put in place to ensure that I had awareness and control over what was happening in our global supply chain. I disabled air orders without a manual approval intervention - the business justification that I used to say "yes" was to weigh our lifetime economic value of having a specific unit in stock to sell - this incorporated current profitability, demand perishability, and downstream economic impact to our decision model. The 3rd key work stream was to build the new ordering system - this was something that I certainly was not able to do personally, but I used my approval methodology to start the framework for the engineers to build out what we called 'cost-aware' ordering. It built on my tradeoff model and added more scientific scenario testing into it (additional example info - country-level profitability analysis to optimize inventory placement when constrained).



In the first six months in role, I was able to reduce our air shipments to 18% saving +$200M annually. As we've entered 2023, we have doubled down on these initiatives and launched our cost aware ordering system enabling us to further reduce air shipments to below 3%, saving an additional $75M."

"Based on my previous conversations with ______, I understand this role will have me working across a broad spectrum of industries and I see that as my largest hurdle to overcome. As you can see from my experience, all of my work history since getting my MBA has been with _____. While I've shown the ability to quickly learn, adapt and be successful in roles across Operations, Supply Chain Management, and Retail business leadership at ______, this role will push me to learn and be successful in manufacturing, healthcare, and other industries that I have not specifically worked in previously. I am eager to learn and push myself into new opportunities and this, combined with my track record of adaptability, will enable me to get to know my clients in deep and meaningful ways if hired for this position."

"I consider myself a Type A person - from my time at the Naval Academy, as an officer in the Navy, and at _______, I've made a point to surround myself with motivated, competitive, goal-driven people as that is what I have found brings out the best in me personally. Both my current and previous managers have been Type A personalities - what I have found best in dealing with them, as well as other stakeholders at ______, is to regularly communicate timelines on projects or deliverables and to give updates in a prompt and succinct manner as they are very time driven. In this role, I would feel very comfortable working with high-level Type A's because of my depth of experience working with similar personalities throughout my career."

"________ is an extremely data-driven company and I have been able to be successful in my 11 years there by using my analytical skills to identify opportunities to deliver break-through results. Examples of this include my current role as Global Allocation GM for _____ Devices where I managed the planning and distribution of consumer electronic devices to over 20 countries, utilizing data and analytics to optimize supply chain efficiency and reduce costs. I doubled down on my experience here by also building the supply chain requirements for the tech development and implementation of a new forecasting and ordering technology which highlights how I was able to turn analytical insights into strategic planning and development. Previous to this role, I designed the 'Ships-In-Own-Container' initiative that improved sustainability, reduced customer frustration, and saved over $200M annually - I was able to do this by finding subsets of products that drove significant cost savings while having limited downside risk in a pool of more than 10M SKUs. Overall, I believe that my extensive experience in utilizing analytical data to drive business decisions will be a valuable asset to potential clients at Egon Zehnder International."

"At a high level, I would first seek to understand if the client has really done their market research homework to find out potential supply and demand changes for their product. If that was the case, I'd offer to help as their consultant wherever I could - whether that's walking through the process of determining labor needs in their production facilities or modeling future projections, or anything else. If I think there is a need for more detailed market research prior to making any decisions, I would offer to help find the right resources to make an optimal decision and any follow-up on decisions needed. I would view my role to be coordinating all key decision-makers in the organization during this process."

"In my experience, the key to quickly learning the ins and outs of a new client's business is to approach each new engagement with a curious and open mind. I start by doing research on the client's industry and competitors, reading any relevant publications or reports, and gathering as much information as possible about the company's history, products or services, and key stakeholders. I also prioritize building relationships with key stakeholders within the client organization, including senior executives, department heads, and employees on the front lines. By getting to know these individuals and understanding their perspectives, I can gain valuable insights into the company's culture, values, and operational practices. In addition, I believe in leveraging data and analytics to gain a deeper understanding of a client's business. By conducting thorough analyses of the client's financial performance, market trends, and other relevant metrics, I can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven recommendations to help the client achieve their goals. Overall, I believe that success in the consulting industry requires a flexible and adaptable approach to learning new businesses. By combining a rigorous analytical mindset with a curiosity about the client's business and a commitment to building strong relationships, I am confident that I can quickly learn the ins and outs of any new client and help them achieve their goals."

"With my extensive experience in strategic roles across retail business planning, logistics, and supply chain management at _______, I believe I can bring a unique perspective and set of skills to help our clients at Egon Zehnder International. In the fast-paced and constantly evolving world of business, having a solid understanding of supply chain management and logistics is crucial for any organization's success. I can leverage my expertise in these areas to help our clients optimize their operations, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Furthermore, having worked at a company known for its customer-centric approach, I have learned how to prioritize the customer's needs while keeping a keen eye on the bottom line. I can use this experience to help our clients develop customer-focused strategies that not only meet but exceed customer expectations, leading to increased customer loyalty and profitability. Overall, I believe my knowledge and experience in retail business planning, logistics, and supply chain management, coupled with my customer-centric approach, can help our clients achieve their goals and succeed in today's competitive business landscape."

"Building relationships is essential to any successful consulting engagement, and I believe the key to doing this effectively is through active listening and communication. When meeting new clients, I first try to understand their goals, priorities, and challenges by asking open-ended questions and actively listening to their responses. By doing so, I can tailor our approach and recommendations to meet their specific needs. I also make a point to be transparent and honest about what we can and cannot do for them. This helps to establish trust and credibility, which is critical in building a long-lasting relationship. Finally, I believe in keeping open lines of communication throughout the engagement, which includes regular check-ins and follow-up meetings to ensure that our work continues to meet their expectations."

"Yes, I do have experience in succession planning. In my previous role with the retail team, I was responsible for leading the talent review and succession planning process for our North American team. This involved identifying critical roles, assessing talent readiness, and developing individualized development plans to prepare high-potential employees for future leadership positions. I also worked closely with business leaders to align on succession priorities and ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities during leadership changes. This involved working with the HR team to identify key competencies for various leadership roles, assessing the current talent pipeline, and identifying gaps and development needs. We also developed a clear communication strategy to engage leaders and employees in the process and ensure succession decisions were made in a fair and equitable manner."

"During my time at _______, I've had a great deal of experience working through conflict - whether internal in my team or when working cross-organizationally. I have been successful in navigating these situations by approaching them in a calm and professional manner, listening to the perspectives of all parties, and using the company's leadership principles or project-specific tenets to help find common ground and resolve disagreements. I think this would be similar to starting an engagement with a client when we would talk through their goals, priorities, and challenges - I would use these as the touch points to go back to when resolving conflict. I believe that it's important to engage in difficult conversations to ensure that all parties are heard, and their concerns addressed. Conflict resolution is an imperative skill in any professional environment and, if done correctly, will ultimately strengthen relationships and lead to better outcomes for everyone involved."

"I have had the opportunity to work with high-level executives and leaders in my current and previous roles during my time at ______. I regularly collaborated with members of the Senior Team (SVPs) from various departments and levels within the company, providing strategic recommendations and insights to help drive business decisions. In addition, I have also worked closely with clients in consulting roles, which required me to build strong relationships and establish trust with key decision-makers. I am confident that my experience working with high-level executives and leaders, combined with my ability to understand their needs and communicate effectively with them, would be valuable in my role at Egon Zehnder International."

"I believe in creating a clear plan with specific milestones and deadlines for any long-term project. I start by breaking down the project into smaller tasks and assign each task a deadline. Then, I prioritize the tasks based on their level of importance and urgency. I also use various tools such as project management software, calendars, and to-do lists to help me stay organized and track my progress. I also find it helpful to communicate regularly with my team members or colleagues who are involved in the project. This helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that we are working towards our common goals. I always encourage open communication, so that any issues or challenges can be addressed promptly and we can adjust our plan accordingly. Lastly, I am not afraid to reassess my plan and make adjustments as needed. Sometimes unexpected events or changes in circumstances can occur, and it's important to be flexible and adaptable to keep the project on track."

"I would very much consider myself a goal-oriented person. In my 11 years at ________, almost everything that I worked on was directly tied to an organizational goal or a company-wide goal. I find myself most comfortable in an environment with clear goals and deliverables that need to be met while having the space to use my individual drive and creativity to deliver the expected result. This is exemplified by my work creating the "Ships In Own Container" program - This was a program that started by encouraging manufacturers to ship inventory to _______ in e-commerce ready packaging instead of the image-focused shelf-ready boxes that were used for most other customers. As we built out this program, I realized that there was an opportunity to transfer the cost of not providing this type of packaging to the manufacturers (the costs were increased labor and material costs within our fulfillment centers and increased shipping costs). I worked across retail, supplier experience, sustainability, and chargeback teams to create a plan to recover $100M in operating expenses through this initiative. After creating a short-term compliance incentive, I was able to launch global chargeback to manufacturers that did not comply with this initiative. I'm proud to say that we saved more than $200M in our first year, more than double our goal and we were able to recoup another $70M through chargeback payments that offset the elevated ship costs for products that were out of compliance. Furthermore, this packaging has become an industry standard (ISTA-6) for e-commerce packaging and has been adopted by our largest competitors."

"In a previous role, I had a colleague who was known for being extremely difficult to work with as he had a tendency to be confrontational, dismissive of other people's opinions, and would often take credit for others' work. I found myself in a situation where I had to collaborate with this colleague on our rapid-response medical mask-sourcing project. To handle this situation, I made a conscious effort to listen to his ideas and suggestions and to try to find common ground where we could work together effectively. I also made sure to communicate clearly and frequently, so there were no misunderstandings or surprises along the way. Although it wasn't always easy, I remained professional and focused on the task at hand, always keeping the project's guiding tenets in mind and using them to help defuse conflicts that would arise. In the end, we were able to successfully complete the project, and I believe that my approach helped to drive this success. While I would not say I look forward to working with him again, I would definitely say I am confident that I will be able to be successful working with him in the future."

"I value diversity and have had the opportunity to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds. One example that comes to mind is in my current role as GM of Global Allocation for ______ Devices and our goal of reducing air shipments. The teams I collaborate with consist of members from different countries, cultures, and academic disciplines working across multiple time zones. Despite our differences in points of view, we were able to come together and successfully reduce air shipments by leveraging each other's unique perspectives and strengths. Through this experience, the importance of meeting people on their schedule, and of listening, respecting, and valuing diverse viewpoints has been reinforced. I look forward to working with diverse teams at Egon Zehnder and its clients."

"As someone with eight years of experience in strategic planning and people management, I believe that my experience with performance evaluation and development can be of great value to our clients at Egon Zehnder. In my current and previous roles, I have worked closely with teams to identify key performance metrics and goals, and have implemented strategies to measure and improve employee performance. I have also worked with individuals to develop personalized development plans, identifying areas of strengths and opportunities, and creating actionable steps to enhance their skills and grow in their roles. With this experience, I am confident in my ability to coach and guide leaders in effectively evaluating and developing their teams' performance, ultimately leading to greater success for their organizations."

"I can fully understand why Egon Zehnder International would need to conduct background checks on all potential employees. I have previously held an OP Secret clearance and can assure you that I have a squeaky clean record and I would be happy to comply with any of your requests."

"As someone who has worked in various industries and roles, I have had the opportunity to observe and work with leaders who employ different styles. I have found that each leadership style has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding those can help in working effectively with each type.

For example, in my military time, leaders tended to be more autocratic in their approach, preferring to make decisions on their own and direct their teams accordingly. In this case, I would prioritize clear communication and ensuring that I have a thorough understanding of their expectations.

At my previous employment, I've found leaders seemed to take a more democratic approach, involving their teams in decision-making and valuing collaboration. In these situations, I have been successful in building strong relationships with team members and facilitating open communication to ensure that everyone feels heard and valued.

Finally, some leaders, I know, have taken a more transformational approach, inspiring their teams to be innovative and creative while challenging them to reach their full potential. For these leaders, I would emphasize my ability to think creatively and work collaboratively to drive positive change.

Overall, I believe that adaptability, effective communication, and a willingness to learn and understand different leadership styles are key to working successfully with leaders from different backgrounds and industries."

"As a Naval Officer, I gained experience working with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. I have also deployed to many different countries throughout Central and South America, the Middle East, and the Eastern Pacific. These experiences have allowed me to be comfortable adapting to new environments and quickly building relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds. More recently at _______, I have led global planning and distribution, built inbound supply chain teams, and led cross-functional projects, all of which require a high degree of adaptability and cultural awareness. Lastly, I have recruited, hired, and developed teams throughout my career. This experience has allowed me to build relationships with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to create an inclusive work environment.

Overall, my diverse career experience, military background, and leadership skills have prepared me to be adaptable and culturally aware in any work environment, including at Egon Zehnder International and with its clients."