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Philippe A. De Backer

Managing Partner

Global Practice Leader, Financial Services

Philippe has 25+ years of experience with strategy consulting in financial services, with a recognized track record of helping change-oriented senior executives and boards transform their financial institutions.

Areas of Focus

Education

Tuck School (Dartmouth)
Master of Business Administration
Colgate University
BA (Magna Cum Laude & Phi Beta Kappa)

Past Experience

Bain & Company
Partner
Korn Ferry International
Global Head, Financial Services

Philippe, currently based in Dubai, is a Managing Partner leading Arthur D. Little’s global Financial Services Practice. He is a core member of the “Strategy & Organization” Practice. 

Philippe is a thought leader in: 

  • Corporate strategy and strategic planning/implementation
  • Investment & capital deployment/fundraising strategy
  • Business and operating models 
  • Organizational design and effectiveness
  • Mergers & acquisitions

Prior to joining Arthur D. Little, Philippe worked for Bain & Company, where he served as Partner & Global Head of Financial Services. He worked in leadership positions in its Boston, Brussels, Paris, and Dubai offices. From 1993 to 2016, he supported clients across many geographies, with particular emphasis on large-scale bank transformations.

In addition to his consulting experience, Philippe founded a New York-based investment firm and successfully IPO a large SPAC with BlackRock on NASDAQ to deploy growth capital in domestic US community banks.
 
Philippe holds an MBA from Tuck School at Dartmouth and a BA from Colgate University. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is fluent in French, Dutch, and English.

Philippe has published several books on management and financial services and is widely published. 
 
Philippe is married and has four children. In his free time, he is an avid skier and passionate Asian art collector.

Recent Publications

Pursuing excellence in corporate banking
Financial services
Pursuing excellence in corporate banking
Philippe A. De Backer
In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), assets of corporate banking are three times larger than those of retail. Yet GCC banks focus their corporate external communication primarily on the consumer segment. A number of challenges and opportunities exist today that illustrate the increasing importance of the corporate segment for banks. This Viewpoint reviews the impacts of recent disruptions and explores options for banks to strengthen and grow their corporate and investment banking (CIB) business.
Find out more
Disruption — Can banks strike back?
Financial services
Disruption — Can banks strike back?
Philippe A. De Backer
So said John Reed, the former Chairman and CEO of Citigroup, as far back as 2015, at a time when global banks across the world were starting to pare back their international operations in response to increasing regulation. The decline of the traditional global bank has only accelerated since then. The newly emerged digital native and “neobank” competitors are now in favor. Their state-of-the-art digital technology, lower-cost structure, lower capital requirements, and greater flexibility in introducing products render them nimbler and more adaptable to changing consumer demands.
Find out more
Financial services
Non-performing loan management
Philippe A. De Backer
Find out more

Philippe, currently based in Dubai, is a Managing Partner leading Arthur D. Little’s global Financial Services Practice. He is a core member of the “Strategy & Organization” Practice. 

Philippe is a thought leader in: 

  • Corporate strategy and strategic planning/implementation
  • Investment & capital deployment/fundraising strategy
  • Business and operating models 
  • Organizational design and effectiveness
  • Mergers & acquisitions

Prior to joining Arthur D. Little, Philippe worked for Bain & Company, where he served as Partner & Global Head of Financial Services. He worked in leadership positions in its Boston, Brussels, Paris, and Dubai offices. From 1993 to 2016, he supported clients across many geographies, with particular emphasis on large-scale bank transformations.

In addition to his consulting experience, Philippe founded a New York-based investment firm and successfully IPO a large SPAC with BlackRock on NASDAQ to deploy growth capital in domestic US community banks.
 
Philippe holds an MBA from Tuck School at Dartmouth and a BA from Colgate University. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He is fluent in French, Dutch, and English.

Philippe has published several books on management and financial services and is widely published. 
 
Philippe is married and has four children. In his free time, he is an avid skier and passionate Asian art collector.

Recent Publications

Pursuing excellence in corporate banking
Financial services
Pursuing excellence in corporate banking
Philippe A. De Backer
In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), assets of corporate banking are three times larger than those of retail. Yet GCC banks focus their corporate external communication primarily on the consumer segment. A number of challenges and opportunities exist today that illustrate the increasing importance of the corporate segment for banks. This Viewpoint reviews the impacts of recent disruptions and explores options for banks to strengthen and grow their corporate and investment banking (CIB) business.
Find out more
Disruption — Can banks strike back?
Financial services
Disruption — Can banks strike back?
Philippe A. De Backer
So said John Reed, the former Chairman and CEO of Citigroup, as far back as 2015, at a time when global banks across the world were starting to pare back their international operations in response to increasing regulation. The decline of the traditional global bank has only accelerated since then. The newly emerged digital native and “neobank” competitors are now in favor. Their state-of-the-art digital technology, lower-cost structure, lower capital requirements, and greater flexibility in introducing products render them nimbler and more adaptable to changing consumer demands.
Find out more
Financial services
Non-performing loan management
Philippe A. De Backer
Find out more

More About Philippe
  • Tuck School (Dartmouth)
    Master of Business Administration
  • Colgate University
    BA (Magna Cum Laude & Phi Beta Kappa)
  • Bain & Company
    Partner
  • Korn Ferry International
    Global Head, Financial Services