Insights from Accelare

Company: Accelare 
Industry: Consulting
Location: Randolph, MA
Company Size: 35
Website: www.accelare.com
What They Do: Accelare is a leading digital transformation and business strategy consulting firm that helps businesses create unrivaled competitive advantages.  

Q: How does D'Amore-McKim's corporate residency program differ from traditional internships?

A: One thing that stood out to me was the personalized support and guidance D'Amore-McKim's Graduate Career Center provided. They focus on helping students gain valuable experience during their academic journey and prioritize helping them secure future employment opportunities post-graduation. At Accelare, we view these corporate residents not as interns or co-ops but as potential future employees who are fully integrated into our organization's culture and operations.  

Q: How long have you been working with D'Amore-McKim's corporate residency program? 

A: As a former corporate resident at Accelare while I was completing my full-time MBA at D'Amore-McKim, I bring a unique perspective. After finishing my residency, Accelare extended my position for six months until I finished my program, and upon completing my MBA, I accepted a full-time role. 

Accelare has a longstanding relationship with D'Amore-McKim, which is our exclusive source of corporate residents. This was my second year with the program, and I led recruitment efforts for our most recent round of corporate residents. 

Q: How has your corporate resident benefitted your business with short-term and long-term value? 

A: In terms of short-term impact, our residents typically begin their roles during the summer months, and we prime them to begin projects in the fall. These projects often have an accelerated timeframe, allowing residents to see projects through from inception to completion. This approach helps us build consultant teams efficiently for short-term initiatives to support various internal tasks such as outreach, business development, and marketing material development during the summer.  

For long-term impact, we've had several D'Amore-McKim students permanently join our team, including two from my cohort. It's been a valuable pipeline for growing future talent and retaining them across various consulting roles with diverse expertise in hospitality, humanities, and healthcare fields. 

Q: Can you tell me about the projects that corporate residents worked on and how they advanced your business goals? 

A: Despite their title as corporate residents, we introduced them as consultants, and they played pivotal roles in our projects. One resident's healthcare background was instrumental in guiding a healthcare client's education program strategy, while the other's expertise in analytics empowered us to analyze the data effectively and implement innovative solutions. Our corporate residents led workshops, discussions, and client interactions from the project's start, showcasing their full engagement.  

One of our corporate residents from D'Amore McKim was tasked with conducting market research for a new product launch. Through his comprehensive analysis and strategic insights, he was able to identify key market trends, customer preferences, and competitive positioning strategies. His recommendations informed our product development roadmap and prioritized projects for our client. 

Q: Do you plan to hire more corporate residents in the future? 

A: Yes, we plan on continuing our longstanding relationship with D'Amore-McKim, and we'll have two new residents starting with us during our next cycle. 

We typically host cohorts of multiple residents at a time, spanning various experience levels and backgrounds. The diverse backgrounds of our residents significantly enriches our consulting practice. For instance, one resident brings technical expertise, while another focuses on healthcare. This diversity of D'Amore-McKim graduate students enables us to access various insights and capabilities, essential for delivering innovative solutions to our clients. 

Q: What skills and leadership qualities are instilled incorporate residents to prepare them for the workplace? 

A: In consulting, projects often represent ambiguous challenges that demand complex solutions, which is where our expertise comes in. What is particularly impressive about D'Amore-McKim's Full-Time MBA students are their innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets. They consistently think outside the box, exploring unconventional solutions and leveraging technologies like AI to drive growth. 

Their remarkable drive and professionalism shine through in their proactive approach to tasks, their quick grasp of difficult concepts, and their consistent ability to regularly exceed expectations. They also have exceptional presentation skills, and their findings are backed by thorough research and data. 

Q: Can you provide examples of specific tools and technologies that your corporate resident leveraged in analytics? 

A: We are constantly exploring how to leverage technologies such as OpenAI and other forms of artificial intelligence to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our work. Our corporate resident, who had a focus in analytics, brought valuable insights in this area. Through his expertise in analytics and statistics, he guided us on utilizing tools like Tableau for data visualization, as well as programming languages like Python and R. While these tools may not always be part of our regular toolkit, they offer alternative perspectives and uncover new findings that we may have overlooked.