EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cliff Consulting (www.cliffconsulting.net), a leading San Francisco Bay Area management consulting firm, announced April 1st that Kirsten Kuhlmann, a transformational leader with 25 years of executive leadership and business management expertise, has acquired ownership of the 42-year-old firm founded by UC Berkeley Industrial Engineering and Operations Research professor Bob Cliff. Ms. Kuhlmann, who joined Cliff Consulting in 2013 as a senior consultant, will serve as president of the firm which specializes in helping businesses plan and lead high-stakes projects including strategic business initiatives, operational improvements, mergers and integrations, and technology implementations.
“Kirsten’s collaborative, results-focused approach aligns perfectly with the culture and values that have shaped our organization for the last 42 years. I feel confident that she will stay true to what the firm stands for and its overarching commitment to delivering unsurpassed results,” said Bob Cliff, now retired, founder of the company.
“It’s a huge privilege to lead a company that I have a tremendous amount of respect for, and one with senior-level consultants I had the opportunity to work with, first as a peer. I was able to see first-hand their dedication and commitment to providing extraordinary client service and exceptional results,” said Ms. Kuhlmann. “Under my leadership, Cliff Consulting will remain true to our core values of excellence, performance, collaboration and the delivery of tangible results, while we embrace an exciting future.”
A graduate of Tulane University, Ms. Kuhlmann also holds an Executive Certificate in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. Prior to joining Cliff Consulting, Ms. Kuhlmann served in a number of leadership and executive roles with U.S. and global companies including Chief Operating Officer of The RealReal, the first online luxury consignment store; Vice President & Chief of Staff to the CTO/CIO of the Apollo Group, a $4.3 billion private higher education company; Consultant at K2 Strategy & Operations Management Consulting; and Head of Global Retail Operations for Puma, Germany, a $3 billion apparel and accessories company.
Cliff Consulting works with a broad range of for-profit and non-profit clients, from Fortune 500 to smaller companies in a variety of industries including banking, insurance, consumer products, health care, biotech, life sciences, high-tech, and philanthropy. Cliff’s roster of clients reads like a who’s who of major Bay Area corporations as well as select non-profit organizations and philanthropic foundations.
About Cliff Consulting, Inc.
Cliff Consulting, Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based woman-owned management consulting firm that specializes in helping clients plan and lead critical projects including strategic business initiatives, operational improvements, mergers and integrations, and technology implementations. For over 40 years, Cliff Consulting has offered highly experienced, locally based senior consultants skilled at working closely with internal client teams to get important projects accomplished. For more information, please visit www.cliffconsulting.net.
About Kirsten Kuhlmann, Owner & President, Cliff Consulting, Inc.
Kirsten Kuhlmann brings 25 years of executive leadership and management consulting to the conception and delivery of major, large-scale, cross-functional projects and initiatives, domestically and internationally. Particularly skilled at driving change in complex and ambiguous environments, she combines strategic and tactical skills that aid both the design of new approaches and their implementation. Kirsten thrives in helping organizations land abstract ideas with clarity of purpose and direction. Through executive partnership, strong facilitation and strategic planning, she engages collaboratively with internal talent, resulting in an organization that is optimized and bench-strong.
Kirsten’s background features a wide-spectrum of experience from multinational corporations to startups, including Technology, Finance, Education, Non-Profit, Healthcare, Consulting, Retail, Consumer Goods, e-Commerce, and Mobile. She joined Cliff Consulting, Inc. in 2013 and acquired the firm in 2014, assuming the role of president and CEO. Kirsten received her BA in International Relations from Tulane University and an Executive Certificate in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School.
