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.

Stephen is a Senior Project Leader leading project teams delivering impact for clients. He has 20 years of strategy and operations experience driving large scale programs in transformation, post-merger integration, M&A, and change management across industry sectors.

He is a former McKinsey Associate Principal and leader in the firm’s Operations practice where he led strategy, Lean transformation, post-merger integration, and operations excellence efforts. Stephen then moved to United Technologies where he led strategy and M&A and managed a multibillion-dollar post-merger integration initiative. After United Technologies, Stephen joined Capital One leading a Process Excellence rollout. His more recent roles include VP of Program Management at CSC Service Works, a private equity owned consumer service business, and Chief Transformation Officer at Club Corp, a private equity-owned private clubs and lifestyle business, before taking on a number of transformational HPA leadership opportunities.

Stephen holds a PhD in Physics from University of California, Berkeley, and a BA and MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

Stephen is based in Dallas, where he enjoys sailing and serving with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

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.

Tommy is an Operations Project Management Associate who works with the business development and talent teams for their different internal operational needs. He plans and executes projects of varying sizes, with the focus of this work being on optimizing the company database to allow for efficient internal access and use. From the business development side, Tommy is responsible for helping navigate initiatives to build upon existing client relationships, as well as expand upon the existing client base.

Tommy joined HighPoint initially as an intern while completing his senior year at Loyola Marymount University. At LMU Tommy received his BA in Computer Science and was an Assistant Captain on the Ice Hockey Team. He was also involved with Greek Life where he served as Interfraternity Council President for a year and a half and was recognized as Fraternity Man of the Year in 2020.

He is now based in his home state of Massachusetts after spending five years in Los Angeles attending school and working. In his free time he is passionate about the outdoors and frequents various New England hiking trails and campgrounds. He also is a huge New England sports fan and can be seen attending various events at Fenway Park or TD Garden supporting his favorite teams.

Nolan is a Business Development Associate at HighPoint Associates. Nolan works with the business development team and HPA Partners to foster internal growth and manage client relationships. In addition, he provides support to HPA consultant teams to deliver strategy and execution acceleration solutions to clients.

Prior to joining HPA in July 2022, Nolan graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BA in political science. At UCI, Nolan founded the Anteater Crypto Association, the largest blockchain-focused club on campus. Furthermore, Nolan was the head of fundraising for the University of California, Irvine Real Estate Association, and a Co-Founder of Sigma Eta Pi entrepreneurship society.

Nolan has a diverse background with internship experience in consulting, financial services, technology, law, and venture capital. His work at Marsh & McLennan included fostering client relationships and mitigating risk for technology and life science clients. During his undergraduate years, Nolan was also Co-Founder of a clean technology company that completed a large-scale commercial solar project in Orange County, California.

Nolan is a Southern California native growing up in San Diego, CA and now living in Orange County, CA. On weekends, Nolan enjoys keeping up to date on geopolitics, hitting the gym to lift weights or play basketball, and preparing meals with his family.

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.

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.

Tess is a Business Development Associate at HighPoint Associates. As a member of the BD team, she works closely among her team and with HPA partners to develop client relationships. She supports efforts to implement the firm’s lead generation strategy to foster topline growth and assists the consulting teams in providing solutions to clients.

Prior to joining HPA in July 2022, Tess was part of the Hospital Operations Project Management Office at NYU Langone Health in Manhattan, New York. She worked alongside hospital leadership to support and manage quality improvement projects in various departments, with a focus on General Medicine, Patient Experience, Infection Control, and Pharmacy. Additionally, she provided administrative oversight for three inpatient General Internal Medicine units, where she worked to advance and manage initiatives that translate high reliability organization (HRO) principles into practice.

Tess graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2021, with a BS in International Studies, and a focus on Global Health and the Environment. While at University of Michigan, Tess explored her interests in Public Health, and her research, “Barriers and Facilitators to Community Health Outreach and Engagement in Detroit, Michigan: A Qualitative Study,” was published in the Journal of Health Promotion Practice.

Tess is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and following her time in New York is now based in Los Angeles. In her free time, Tess enjoys exploring new hiking and running trails, discovering new restaurants, and spending time with her family on Douglas Lake in Northern Michigan during the summers.

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, IT security, 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 two children, 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, baby, and two French Bulldogs.

Daniel is a Talent and Business Development Associate at HighPoint Associates. In this hybrid role, he collaborates with the Business Development and Talent teams to assist the HPA partners in company growth, building out HPA’s consulting network and staffing client projects with top tier independent consultants, and contributing to the delivery of solutions and services to our clients.

Prior to joining HighPoint Associates in July 2022, Daniel graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Psychology. In college, Daniel was on the varsity Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Swim Team, led as Vice President of Student Activities in student government, participated as Head of Events in Class ‘22 Cabinet, and worked as a Senior Interviewer in CMC’s Admission Office. Daniel brings strong prior work experience to HPA, having worked in multiple prior roles across project sales, information services, event planning, marketing, project management, and research.

Daniel is a Los Angeles County native where he lives in an all former-varsity sport household. He is the second of four children raised in a first-generation Israeli-American household. Daniel enjoys traveling, cooking, concerts, fashion, drag culture, and holds a huge interest in Middle Eastern Diplomacy. On the weekends, you can find Daniel exploring new restaurants in LA, going to concerts and music festivals, bodysurfing at the beach, or watching a drag show in LA.

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 Senior 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.

Taylor is a Business Development Associate at HighPoint Associates. As a member of the BD Team, she works closely with her team members and the HPA partners to foster client relationships and company growth. She also assists the consultant team to provide top-tier solutions and services to clients. 

Prior to joining HPA in June 2022, Taylor graduated from Haverford College with a BS in biology and minors in economics and health studies. At Haverford, she was a member of the varsity track & field team and heavily involved in the Admissions Office as a tour guide/senior interviewer and in the Residential Life Office as a Residential Assistant.  

Taylor has a strong research background, working on projects at Caltech and Haverford. Her work at Caltech, “Imaging neuropeptide release at synapses with a genetically engineered reporter,” was published in eLife Sciences, and she completed a senior thesis at Haverford entitled “Investigating the Role of Phosphodiesterases in Crithidia fasciculata Adherence to Mosquito Hindgut – Providing Insight for Preventative Treatments for Understudied Tropical Diseases.” Taylor has a passion for healthcare, summer interning at Highmark Health and working part-time as a Data Science Analyst during her senior year of college.  

After four years in Pennsylvania, Taylor is now based in Los Angeles. In her free time, she enjoys going for runs, hiking, trying new dessert places, and spending time with her family. Taylor has a younger brother who is a student-athlete at UCSD, and she enjoys watching his baseball games in person or on livestream! 

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.