Consulting firm North Highland makes seven executive promotions in the US
At year-end, Atlanta-based management consultancy North Highland has made a number of executive promotions. Transportation industry expert Chris McCarthy (Tampa, FL) has been elevated to Vice President, while six other members of the North Highland US team have been promoted to Associate Vice President: Dianne Bradley (Portland), Dan Kopp (Atlanta), Scott McGinnis (Atlanta), Dan Montgomery (Dallas), Steve Ponciroli (St. Louis), and Rick Zelznak (Tallahassee).
Now a Vice President at North Highland, Chris McCarthy has over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry – improving the performance of commercial industry and public sector organizations. The veteran strategy consultant has been North Highland’s Global Transportation Lead for the past three years, leading the firm’s transportation offerings in both the commercial and public sector. In the last two years, McCarthy has boosted revenue growth in the practice by over 50% each year.
Before joining North Highland, McCarthy co-founded and managed transportation industry-focused consultancy Seneca Group LLC, a subsidiary of government relations and advocacy firm Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell.
The first of six AVP promotions, Diane Bradley has been a Principal at North Highland for four years. She is currently responsible for the growth and operations of the Healthcare practice for numerous West Coast clients. Bradley has over a decade of experience in the healthcare sector. Before joining the firm, she was a Senior Manager and Director at ACME Business Consulting, a Program Manager at Standard Insurance Company, and an Operations and Strategic Planning Lead at DocuSys (now a part of Merge Healthcare). She started her career as a Business Analyst at Emory University Hospital.
Dan Kopp has served as Director of Data & Analytics as North Highland for the past two-and-a-half years. Kopp has over 15 years of experience providing end-to-end business intelligence and data integration solutions to clients in the areas of sales, accounting, customer care, marketing, and operations. Previously, he was a Senior Business Architect at North Highland Data and Analytics. Earlier in his career, Kopp was a Consultant at PwC, and a Data Warehouse Architect at Accenture.
Before his promotion to AVP, Scott McGinnis was a Principal Healthcare Strategy Consultant at the firm for nearly four years, leading numerous healthcare strategy projects for payers and providers – including IT and specialty pharmacy-related engagements. McGinnis previously held management consulting roles at Gallup, CareLogistics, and Human Motion Institute.
Dan Montgomery, meanwhile, has been a Director at North Highland Data and Analytics for over six years, and was a Principal at North Highland for four-and-a-half years prior to that. The information systems expert has nearly two decades of experience implementing large-scale, business-driven IT projects. Previous roles included an eight-year stint at business intelligence firm Headstrong (James Martin & Co.) as a Principal. He started his career as a Developer/Business Analyst at Texas Instruments.
Steve Ponciroli has been the Senior Director of Market Strategy and Growth for the Midwest Region since 2013, focusing on revenue growth, strategic partnership, marketing, and new client acquisitions. He has over 19 years of experience in sales, operations, healthcare, IT, and finance. Ponciroli was previously a Limited Partner at VC firm Cultivation Capital for over six years. Prior to that, he held management roles at Centene Corporation and IBM.
Finally, Rick Zelznak has been with North Highland for over eight years, leading the firm’s Public Health and Human Services practice. He has over 23 years of experience in health and human services (HHS) policy, technology, and financial management. Zelznak was previously a Senior Vice President at HHS consultancy MAXIMUS. Before that, he served in a number of roles in the Arizona State government, including State Chief Information Officer & Policy Advisor to Governor Hull.
