Happy Anniversary Antje Helfrich
Welcome to the Forum Solutions Associate Spotlight Series: where we celebrate the remarkable professional and personal accomplishments of our associates on their work anniversaries.
We are proud to celebrate Antje Helfrich’s 1-year anniversary with Forum Solutions. Antje is a strategic transformation leader known for exceptional cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management across all levels of client organizations. She has a proven track record of helping clients in Technology, Retail, Telecommunications, Utilities, Non-Profit, and public sectors develop and execute strategic initiatives and set their organizations up for success. Outside of work, Antje enjoys traveling and weekend getaways to discover all the PNW has to offer.
Why did you choose to work at Forum?
Joining Forum was an easy decision. I had prior consulting experience and was quite intentional in my search for a new professional “home”. I was looking for a firm that was big enough to have a portfolio of interesting and challenging client projects, but that also felt personal, where associates get to know each other, learn from each other, and collaborate both on client projects and on internal firm initiatives. And while I do love to travel (more on that below!), I really cherish the local focus Forum has. It feels very grounded. I had a great experience getting to know and interviewing with Forum – everyone I met was someone I wanted to work with!
What do you enjoy most about consulting?
What I love most about consulting is the diversity of work cultures I get to experience. I have worked with clients in many areas including technology, retail, transportation, telecommunication, and the public sector; every project is different, and every client has different needs and expectations. But in the end, it always comes down to helping people work well together to build a shared vision and achieve common goals. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping clients to break down organizational silos and “translating” between different disciplines, skill and seniority levels, and social & cultural environments. That is why organizational change management suits me well as a focused area of expertise.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I love traveling near and far. There is so much to discover in the Pacific Northwest, and I enjoy day trips and weekend getaways to the coast or the mountains. But I also love to venture out, and my most amazing travel experience was probably a trip to Tanzania in 2019 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. That was a bucket list kind of adventure, and I am so glad I got to do this just before the pandemic hit! Recently, I spent 2 weeks in Italy and loved the country. I spent two weeks in Lucca, a town in Tuscany about an hour and a half from Florence. It was the perfect base for immersing myself in the Italian language and culture. I went to language school every morning and spent the afternoons exploring the town and the surrounding area and of course eating lots of great food. The highlight was all the hiking I did – it is just such a beautiful part of the world, where you find yourself walking through meadows, olive groves and the woods, trekking uphill to an old castle, and enjoying phenomenal views of the coast all in the span of an afternoon. I would go back in a heartbeat – but I also love traveling to new places so who knows… So much to discover!
What does being part of a local Seattle-based consulting firm mean to you?
While I grew up in Germany, Seattle has been my home for 30 years. I love working for a firm that is firmly rooted in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. There are so many great companies based in and around Seattle and it feels extra meaningful to be part of their growth journeys. Another thing I really cherish is Forum’s commitment to supporting local communities. Right now, I am leading a pro bono engagement with the Rainier Valley Food Bank, a fantastic organization focused on combatting food insecurity in Seattle’s South End communities. The opportunity to combine “work” and community service is amazing!
Forum Solutions is a management consulting company dedicated to crafting and delivering transformational outcomes for our clients, our colleagues, and our community. With our help, clients become more agile, resilient, and connected, bringing great ideas to fruition with brilliant results. From start-ups to the Fortune 50, business leaders rely on Forum Solutions to help them form and realize their strategies. Our company is a certified Woman Owned Business that believes in developing and growing our colleagues, company, and region in a socially conscious way.