Leadership Team
Managing Director
With more than 15 years experience as a Hewlett Packard executive in manufacturing, product design, international procurement, corporate strategy, and sales & marketing functions, Bender is widely recognized for his key role as senior director of merger integration, following Hewlett’s $19.5 billion acquisition of Compaq Computer. Previously a senior director in the company's strategic change office where he served in leadership roles on twelve smaller acquisitions and built an internal consultancy to drive multi-billion dollar growth initiatives, Bender also served as the executive director and vice president of the firm’s commercial sales group, leading a global reinvention of its composition, strategy and activities. Since founding Bender Consulting in 2004, he's focused on leading high-risk, mission-critical business transformations for large organizations, including several large projects for Chevron Corp., one of the world’s largest vertically integrated energy companies. While specializing in minimizing risks, expediting progress and maximizing value during any form of organizational change, Bender has also earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to executives leading difficult transformations. A native of the Midwest and now a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, and an executive MBA from Harvard Business School.
Managing Director
With nearly a decade of experience managing complex enterprise-level transformations, Dison brings a holistic view to every engagement and understands how to connect people, process, systems and governance in support of an overarching strategy. He holds a deep passion for creating sustainability and ensuring projects capture full business value. Dison specializes in creating efficient processes and clear organizational and individual roles and responsibilities, which set him at the pivotal operational hub of all Bender projects. His former careers within the Energy Practices of BearingPoint and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting built his love affair with the ever-changing global energy industry - and he's been successfully re-engaged by Fortune 100 companies like Chevron, Tesoro and Halliburton to manage complex changes around the world. A resident of Austin, the Texas-native holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Communications and Business from The University of Texas.
Managing Director & Chief Communications Officer
Straddling the worlds of corporate communications and mainstream journalism for more than three decades, Stuller is the author of eight books and nearly a thousand national magazine articles, including features in Audubon, Smithsonian, Outside, Playboy and Reader's Digest. He simultaneously managed a career in corporate public affairs primarily at Chevron, where he wrote the annual report, articles for the employee magazine and served as speechwriter for the Chairman of the Board and other executives. He then served on an executive team that ran an operating unit with 26,000 employees and nearly $8 billion in capital employed. Comfortable with a myriad of cultures, Stuller has worked in the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. His most recent book, published by McGraw Hill in 2008 and co-authored with former Motorola Chairman Robert Galvin, is called Perfect Power: How the Microgrid Revolution Will Unleash Cleaner, Greener and More Abundant Energy, covering America's critical need to reinvent its electrical system. A frequent contributor to The Conference Board Review, Stuller resides in Marin County, Ca.
Managing Director
With twenty years experience addressing the human element of organizational change, Jennifer Foucher is an expert at minimizing the change adoption curve to ensure projects are sustainable. A former Senior Manager in Andersen Business Consulting's global Strategy, Organization and People practice, Foucher provides practical solutions that help employees achieve tangible business results, while ensuring that leaders achieve their strategic, business and financial goals during transitions. She is known for her collaborative work style and passion for leading people through daunting organizational changes. Prior to embarking on her consulting career, Foucher taught English in the former Czechoslovakia and has continued to nurture her passion for experiencing diverse cultures by working with organizations as disparate as the Internal Revenue Service, AT&T and General Mills. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Trinity University and an MBA in International Business and Marketing from The University of Texas and resides in Austin.
Managing Director
With more than twenty years of leadership and management experience in strategy, business integration, operations, product development, marketing, sales, information technology, analytics, and consulting, Kurt Johnson brings a unique set of capabilities and perspective to Bender Consulting. As a Senior Manager for Accenture and Senior Vice President for eLoyalty, he has delivered successful business solutions for Fortune 200 companies - receiving a Smithsonian Award for Excellence for one of his projects. As a COO and GM for financial services companies, he has successfully led corporate initiatives for product, marketing, and sales channel strategies, as well as launched new consumer product and services divisions. Business is complex, and Johnson leverages his diverse knowledge and experiences to ensure that engagements deliver their full value potential. He has worked in various industries including energy, financial services, consumer products, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government. Johnson has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in Finance, from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. He resides in Houston, Texas.
Managing Director
With twenty years experience in business transformation, process improvement, and change management, Shelley Robbins has an uncanny ability to assess situations and apply innovative solutions. A former Senior Manager in BearingPoint’s Transformation, Change and People practice, Robbins was consistently assigned to large-scale, complex projects and high profile clients. Robbins is known for building trusted relationships through her facilitative style and enthusiasm for client success. Her commitment to customer satisfaction earned her the BearingPoint "Gold Beacon" Award for providing superior client service. Robbins' extensive experience includes deployments in Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific including war zones in Kuwait and Iraq. Robbins' diverse clients include Fortune 200 companies such as Chevron, General Motors, Halliburton/KBR, Prudential Health Care, and Waste Management. A native and current resident of Houston, Robbins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Houston.
Managing Director, IT Transformation Practice Leader
Bringing more than fifteen years of senior executive experience in IT management, strategy development, operations optimization, mergers and acquisitions integration, divestiture planning, new business launch and startup operations, organization design, change management, and program management, Scott Archibald has one of the most diverse backgrounds in Bender. Moreover, he's had nearly two decades of leadership experience in the high-tech industry in information technology, services, procurement, and operations roles. Responsible for ensuring that all information technology infrastructure services worked flawlessly internally and externally on the first day that HP & Compaq officially merged, Archibald was also accountable for the transition and security of several networks and systems spun-off by HP, into the firm known as Agilent Technologies. He also twice served as an operations chief of staff for HP vice presidents, both leading customer facing and internal organizations comprised of over 2000 employees. Archibald holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information & Communication Systems from CSU Chico, completed accelerated executive management coursework from University of Michigan and currently resides in Las Vegas.
Managing Director
With over 20 years of leadership experience, Berni Ai-Kuo combines strategic and tactical thinking with business savvy to help grow profitable, market-driven organizations. Her experience covers marketing strategy, go-to-market process reengineering, operations optimization and management, P&L management, investment banking and change management. She also has diverse industry experience in fields that include commercial and consumer products, white goods, high-tech, clean tech, commercial real estate and pharmaceuticals. Ai-Kuo has global experience working with countries in Europe and working and living in Asia Pacific, formerly leading a Hewlett Packard products division based in Singapore and which served nearly all of Asia. In addition, Ai-Kuo was a key member of the HP-Compaq merger integration team. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Master's of Engineering Management from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. She has also completed an executive program at the Harvard Business School.
Managing Director
A strategic leader with more than 15 years of management experience, Garcia has successfully delivered complex transformational business projects in large and decentralized organizations. He achieves results through innovative solutions driven by strategic data analysis and a passion for excellence. Garcia focuses on advising and assisting organizations to transform strategic plans and business objectives into organizational capabilities. A former Senior Manager with BearingPoint and Arthur Andersen, Garcia's approach is to develop collaborative organizational environments for his clients and colleagues. Fluent in Spanish, he has successfully completed international assignments throughout Latin America and the Middle East. His project work spans multiple industry sectors including construction, film entertainment, manufacturing, energy, and higher education. Garcia holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin.
Managing Director
A former member of the Royal Dutch Navy's intelligence sector, Evert Hulleman began his career in financial auditing with Arthur Andersen shortly after leaving the service. Throughout the 1990s he focused on profit improvement, cost management, re-engineering, change management, and strategy and business transformation in an active consulting practice on both sides of the Atlantic. He later joined Deloitte & Touche, founding and developing its Consumer Business Team in the Netherlands. His work then took him to the United States, selling, overseeing and performing work for clients in the Mid-West, mainly in areas around supply chain & finance. More recently, Hulleman co-founded a strategic and financial planning consulting firm called Beyond EPS Advisors, which also emphasizes cost controls and performance management. Now affiliated with Bender, he resides in Mexico City.
Chief Public Relations Officer
With more than 13 years of public relations experience at Fortune 500 companies and startups, Prince brings a big-picture view matched with tactical execution abilities to the table for Bender Consulting. He understands the Public Relations and Corporate Communications functions well, having counseled numerous CEOs and other executives in the art of media relations and storytelling. Prince specializes in shaping a Public Relations strategy for companies of all sizes to have meaningful interactions with the press and other key influencers. His key industries of expertise are high-tech and energy. Former companies and engagements include running public relations launches for Dell’s consumer products, managing the corporate communications functions at startup United Devices and renewable energy company, Green Mountain Energy Company. Most recently, Prince was a vice president running the energy practice for Porter Novelli’s Austin office. A resident of Austin, the Puerto Rico native holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Edward’s University with a Minor in Theology.
Chief Marketing Officer
With a background in Anthropology, Kirsten provides strategic direction and audience insights. She brings a focused understanding of human behavior in the use of technology. Kirsten’s past experience includes work for a broad base of Fortune 500 clients as Principal at Tocquigny Advertising, Interactive + Marketing, and prior to that, at DDB Worldwide. Her clients have included recognized industry leaders from a wide range of industries such as Dell Inc., Embassy Suites Hotels, Keepsake Fine Jewelry, Peterbilt, and Abbott Labs. She is a recognized speaker on brand experience creation and social media. She has a degree in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, and is an active member of the American Anthropological Association and Information Architecture Institute. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Association for Women in Technology.