The management team at HighPoint Associates is integral to the HighPoint philosophy and to the successes of our clients. Our team’s leadership and expertise allow us to forge meaningful relationships built on results and respect.
We are excited to announce the newest addition to our management team, a general manager and strategy veteran, Justin Moser. Justin joins us as Chief Operating Officer, taking the lead to enhance internal initiatives, and in parallel, work closely with HPA Partners to develop and execute service delivery and business development opportunities.
Justin brings both an operational and strategy background, joining HighPoint from a fifteen-year tenure at Mattel where most recently he served as Group CFO over Mattel’s commercial businesses, FP&A, and brands, and previously, he served clients as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company.
We are thrilled to welcome Justin to the team!
How did your career lead you to HighPoint?
As an economics undergraduate from Pomona College, I began my career in strategy consulting with Bain & Company, supporting the rollout of Bain’s Los Angeles office and client base, and earning an MBA from Kellogg along the way. While a generalist, I always appreciated tangible consumer businesses. When my wife and I started a family, I shifted from advisory work to internal strategy and line management roles at Mattel, Inc. – the most passionately tangible of all consumer spaces! At Mattel, I was able to touch about every operational aspect of the business, initially leading brands and building out its corporate strategy function, alongside Asia-based partnership and procurement efforts. More recently, I served as the North American online general manager and as Group CFO over their commercial businesses. From Bain’s LA office to recent Mattel leadership, each of these roles necessitated a buildout of new capabilities, prioritizing close operating partnerships, executional translation of strategy, and team leadership – attributes I’ve found to be an emphasis within the HighPoint culture. HighPoint offers the opportunity to grow another business while leveraging my general management/operational day-to-day and strategy experience.
You have first-hand experience in the consulting space from your previous roles, both as a consultant and on the client side. What initially attracted you to HighPoint, and how does HPA differ from other firms?
HighPoint is genuinely an entrepreneurial approach to strategy – blending the very experienced industry and strategy bases of our associates with a more flexible approach to the makeup and size of a team throughout a project. This flexibility is difficult in a larger firm that needs more fixed team-size utilization, and has a more uniform profile of consultant. We also have a leader in Sumeet who listens to clients remarkably well.
Your official title is Chief Operating Officer – tell us a little more about your role.
The charter here is really to enable accelerated growth – which comes through realizing continued results with our clients, and an internal operation that enables that growth. COO is a catch-all title that does a bit of everything – I run our internal operations, including supporting our partner business development and service delivery, as well as business functions like HR, Finance, and IT. We have some great team members who in an entrepreneurial culture have set up systems and processes from the ground, and it’s about scaling these functions to better serve our clients and team.
What’s been your proudest professional moment?
Partnering with my colleagues in Mattel’s leadership team over a 5-year sprint to move us out of the recall/global recession in 2007-08 to record-level 2013 growth and profitability, at >$1B operating profit. This 5-year effort created team member opportunities, delighted our consumers, and maximized shareholder value. That same set of team members has gone on to lead remarkable businesses in a variety of industries.
What are you doing when you’re not at work?
Most frequently, I’m keeping up with my middle school children on the basketball court and convincing my daughter to sing alongside my various guitar creations. I also serve in leadership with a great group of people at a local church.
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten?
Hard as it may be, be quick to listen and slow to speak…
What’s the worst advice you’ve gotten?
Work hard/play hard can be an aspirational mantra – I’ve found that real impact takes a lot of hard work, and it’s all about picking your recreational spots for the most important personal priorities and joy.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I’ve traveled extensively and managed teams in 5 wonderful continents / tens of countries…yet my favorite tourist location remains Edinburgh, Scotland.
