Sumeet is the Founder of HighPoint Associates and directs company strategy. He is dedicated to creating transformational change for HighPoint client partners. His focus on growth has resulted in measurable, positive outcomes, and high rates of client retention. Sumeet’s breadth of experience and keen sense of intuition allow him to partner with clients to identify the roots of their challenges and how best to tackle them.

Prior to founding HighPoint in 2001, Sumeet was the head of Strategy & Business Development at an early stage venture firm that operated at the intersection of technology, media and entertainment. Before that, he served dozens of clients across industry and functional sectors from McKinsey & Company’s New York and Los Angeles offices.

Sumeet holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from the Wharton School of Business.

Sumeet is based in Los Angeles, where he runs (and runs and runs) almost every morning. After a half-dozen attempts, he gave up on breaking a four-hour marathon and instead now focuses his attention on coaching his son’s sports teams, while cheering on his daughter in skating competitions – and avoiding cursing in front of either of them when his Philadelphia teams let him down…again (save for little blips of happiness in 2018 and 2009).

Richard is a Partner with HighPoint Associates and runs the firm’s East Coast office. He joined HighPoint in 2008 and has since been working with consultants across industries to solve problems, elevate conversations, and deliver breakthrough results.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Richard spent nearly 20 years in a variety of consulting, operating, and start-up leadership positions. Prior to joining HighPoint, he was a principal at Katzenbach Partners, a boutique management consulting firm, where he led client engagements and developed new business in the consumer, healthcare, telecommunications, and financial services sectors. Prior to that, Richard led acquisition and consumer marketing for the largest customer segment within AT&T Wireless. Earlier in his career, he was part of the leadership team at two venture-backed start-ups. He started his career serving in brand management and finance roles at Procter & Gamble.

Richard holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS from Washington University in St. Louis. He and his wife have two children with whom they enjoy exploring the world.

Justin is Chief Operating Officer and Partner at HighPoint Associates. He devotes much of his time to running internal operations, including HPA partner business development and client delivery support, HR, Finance, contracting, and IT, as well as serves several clients as lead partner.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Justin spent over 20 years in general management, finance, strategy, and marketing leadership roles, first as a senior consultant with Bain & Company, and then in progressive CPG-retail responsibilities at Mattel, Inc.  Most recently, he served as Group CFO and Senior Vice President for Mattel’s Global FP&A, Investor Relations, Commercial Finance, Brand Finance, and Investment Finance organizations.  Previously, Justin helped build out Mattel’s global e-retail and Amazon operations as General Manager of its North America Online business, and headed Mattel’s Corporate Strategy and Development capability.

Justin holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he was an Austin Scholar, and a BA in Math-Economics from Pomona College.

Justin is based in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. He attempts to maintain a respectable athletic career in all high school / middle-school competitions, and enjoys making music with his family.  When he is not chasing his children’s extracurriculars, you’ll find him cheering on his beloved UConn Huskies basketball teams…or returning to his liberal arts roots with philosophy and theology reading.

Christina is an Associate Partner and Head of Talent at HighPoint Associates.  As Head of Talent, she recruits top-tier independent consultants into the HighPoint network, identifying areas of expertise and determining relevant client opportunities. She also leads the project staffing function for the firm, ensuring each project is set up for success from the start.

Christina has worked with HighPoint for more than twelve years and is critical to our day-to-day operations.  In addition to her role as Head of Talent, she is a leader across business development, proposal development, and a broad range of operational areas. Prior to joining HighPoint, Christina spent time as an Associate at KPMG, where she participated in public and private company financial statement and SOX audits, primarily within the financial services industry.

Christina holds her BS in Accounting and Marketing from Loyola Marymount University.  Christina is based in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two sons in a sports-obsessed household.  On the weekends, you can find her outdoors exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, trying new vegetarian recipes, or sharpening her skills as a pitcher (or point guard, goalie, caddy, quarterback, etc.) with her kids.

Kara Alam is a Director of Talent and Business Development at HighPoint Associates. In this role, Kara is responsible for recruiting top-tier independent consultants into the HighPoint network, identifying areas of expertise, and determining relevant client opportunities. She is also involved in the staffing function at the firm, ensuring that consultants are matched with opportunities that are strong fits for their background and driving positive project outcomes from the start. She also assists with business development opportunities and ensures that our consultants have the resources they need to deliver on client projects.

Raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Kara moved to Los Angeles to join HighPoint in May of 2021 after 3 years as a Senior Associate at AlphaSights in New York City. Kara graduated from Occidental College with a degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs in 2017. While at Oxy, Kara was a member of the varsity golf team, actively involved in the campus radio and journalism scene, and served as social chair of her sorority, Delta Omicron Tau. During her senior fall, she interned at the United Nations, working first at the UK Mission to the UN and then the United Nations Global Compact.

On the weekends, you can find Kara at concerts and art shows around Los Angeles, or reading the New Yorker on the beach with good food and company.

Mrinalini is a Business Development Associate at HighPoint Associates. Mrinalini collaborates with the BD team and HPA partners to identify areas of growth for the business, fix internal business-related pressure points, and equip the consultant team with all resources needed to successfully deliver solutions and services to our clients.

Prior to joining HighPoint Associates in June 2021, Mrinalini graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology.  At CMC, Mrinalini was a student fellow at the CARE Center for Diversity and Inclusion, a Tour Guide, Senior and Alumni Interviewer for the Admissions Office, a Copyeditor at the Forum Magazine, and a Public Affairs Assistant. Mrinalini has worked in various roles in Growth Marketing, Consumer Research, and Communications at start-ups and Non-Profit Organizations.

Mrinalini is based in Los Angeles, CA in an all-international household. She is originally from and grew up in New Delhi, India. On the weekends, you can find her hopping on a flight to explore a new city, cooking with her roommates, thrifting a new item for her wardrobe, or enjoying a sunset walk!

Maria joined HighPoint Associates in 2021 as VP, Business Development & Operations. In this role, she works closely with our Partners to drive exceptional results for our clients and evolve HPA’s business development capabilities to support the firm’s tremendous growth.

Maria brings 10+ years of business strategy and execution acceleration experience. Prior to joining HighPoint Associates, Maria held business operations, strategy, and finance roles, first as a management consultant with Kearney and later in corporate roles with AstraZeneca and VRBO. Most recently she served as an independent consultant and business owner. In this capacity, she developed and executed integrated commercial strategies by leveraging technology and identifying new avenues for growth.

Maria holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) and a BBA from Goizueta Business School (Emory University). In her spare time, Maria enjoys going on hikes around Los Angeles and finding small moments of joy with her husband and two children.

Griffin is a Senior Associate responsible for business development, analytics, and operations. He joined HPA in 2019 as an Operations Associate and has touched nearly every function of the business in some form over the past two years. As a Senior Associate, he is currently responsible for driving cultivation of client relationships, continuous improvement of business development workflows, and reporting on key metrics to assess and inform business strategy.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Griffin was a program advisory analyst at Emax, a management consulting firm providing real estate advisory services to government clients. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Columbia University with a BA in Urban Studies and holds a BA in Social Sciences from Sciences Po.

Outside of work, you can find Griffin putzing in the garden or hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Earl is a Senior Director who works closely with HPA Partners and consultants to lead staffing for all HighPoint projects. He also drives network development initiatives to recruit top-tier independent consultants into the HighPoint Network.

In addition to his work within the HPA talent function, Earl continues to contribute across areas including contracting, proposals, business development / marketing, and operations. Earl has worked with HighPoint for over 6 years, initially joining the firm as a Business Development Associate before transitioning to the network development and staffing side of the firm.

Earl holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Southern California. Earl is based in Los Angeles and is originally from North Carolina, where he grew up a fan of and participant in all things sports, with an emphasis on baseball. Today, he is an avid cyclist, golfer, and surfer who also enjoys cooking (especially pizza), and playing music.

Mary is a Senior Director of Operations and Business Development at HighPoint Associates. After initially joining HPA as a database management associate in 2017, her role has expanded over the years and she now manages much of the firm’s internal operations including marketing, vendor management, IT security, consultant contracting, CRM, and business development efforts.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Mary spent 4 years working in post-secondary education as an admissions recruiter and corporate education liaison in Indianapolis, Indiana, and also worked as a freelance Spanish to English legal translator for immigration law firms across the country.

Mary holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, and a BA in Spanish-English translation from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, where she attended as a National Merit Scholar.

Mary is now based in her home state of Oklahoma with her husband and daughter, after spending three years on the west coast. She is an avid reader always looking for the next interesting novel, and spends her free time with her husband, trying to keep up with their toddler and two French Bulldogs.

Aamir is a Senior Operations Associate at HighPoint Associates. In this role, Aamir is responsible for overseeing business operations including managing vendor relationships, office administration, and resource management for consultants. He is also responsible for onboarding and supporting consultant teams on projects, ensuring they have the resources and tools necessary to deliver on client engagements throughout their time staffed on projects with HPA. Aamir is also involved with driving business development and marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining HPA in November 2019, Aamir was a Business Risk Services Associate in Grant Thornton’s London office, where he worked on the Securities team to support audits at leading financial institutions. Aamir graduated from Occidental College in 2018 with a degree in Economics. While at Occidental, Aamir was President of the South Asian Students Association and President of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. He also was a member of The Occidental Newspaper and the Occidental College Men’s Rugby Football Club.

Outside of HPA, Aamir enjoys hiking, trying out new recipes, and exploring LA’s vast Korean food scene. A dedicated Arsenal supporter, he spends most of his weekend mornings watching them lose.

Denise is a Director of Operations and Finance at HighPoint Associates.  She oversees the day-to-day internal operations with a focus on client contracting, insurance, forecasting, and partnering with the Controller on invoicing and consultant payroll processes. She also manages special projects and technology enablement, and leads PMO efforts.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Denise enjoyed a 25-year career with Mattel that spanned various functions such as corporate FP&A, financial reporting, treasury, brand finance, European finance, indirect procurement, and licensing finance.  Most recently, she was a consultant at American Honda Finance Corporation leading an indirect procurement purchase-to-pay system implementation.

Denise holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Business School and a BA in Finance from California State University, Fullerton.

Denise is based in Los Angeles with her husband and three kids.  She is the biggest cheerleader and videographer of her kids when they’re climbing hills on the dusty cross country trails, driving the basket on the basketball court and running 3,200 meters on the track.  She enjoys her annual trips to Maui and Napa Valley.

Susan Shah is Senior Director of People and Human Resource Operations. In her People role, Susan is responsible for employee well-being and cultivating the HPA culture. In her role in Human Resource Operations, she is responsible for recruiting, training, and development. Susan also supports the consultant recruiting team.

Prior to joining HighPoint Associates, she had management, leadership, finance training and retention roles across Fortune 500, start-ups, and non-profit organizations.

Susan lives in Manhattan Beach, CA with her husband and two daughters. She is a certified health coach and yoga instructor. When she is not teaching her daughters how to do a handstand, she enjoys cooking healthy meals and outdoor adventures with the family.

Theo is the Vice President of Talent with HighPoint Associates. As the VP of Talent, he recruits top-tier independent consultants into the HighPoint network, identifying areas of expertise and determining relevant client opportunities. He also leads the project staffing function for the Firm, ensuring each project is set up for success from the start.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Theo worked in strategy consulting with Bain & Company, plus a variety of industries including consumer products, electronics, footwear and apparel. He has served private-equity clients in their portfolio companies and also worked directly for a Fortune 500 company. During his career, Theo has had the opportunity to work internationally in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Theo holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from the Wharton School of Business.

Theo is based in Los Angeles where he enjoys spending time with his daughters, volunteering as a coach and referee for their sports teams. On the weekends you can usually find him at the beach, or at the dog park trying to teach his puppy new tricks.

Tom is the Controller at Highpoint Associates. He oversees the Accounting/Finance operations and manages the firm’s financial statements, payroll, budget, and tax compliance process.

Prior to joining HighPoint, Tom spent over 13 years in Public Accounting and industry accounting with internal audit consulting roles at Protiviti and RSM focusing on internal audit and SOX compliance consulting, and an external audit role focusing on Banking/Asset Management audit at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Tom most recently served as the Audit/Accounting Manager at MGM Resorts International, where he managed a team of eight accountants performing month-end closing and auditing work for MGM’s ten subsidiaries.

Tom holds an MS in Finance from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a BS in Accounting from USC Leventhal School of Accounting, and a BS in Business Administration from USC Marshall School of Business.

Tom is based in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. Tom enjoys exploring nature with his kids on the weekend and having Chinese hotpot with his family at least twice a month, and KBBQ at least once a month.