As we welcome the start of 2025, we sat down with Neal Walters, CEO and Founder of Key Consulting, to reflect on the company’s journey, celebrate recent milestones, and explore the ambitious goals shaping its future. With three years of remarkable growth behind them, Key Consulting is ready to make 2025 its most impactful year yet.
Q: Neal, what have been the most pivotal moments in Key Consulting’s journey so far?
Neal: Our ability to connect with leaders regionally and globally has been pivotal. While Japan remains our core market, we’ve successfully expanded into Southeast Asia and Singapore, creating meaningful connections that address hiring challenges across the region. This cross-border approach has been essential to building our reputation and success throughout Asia.
Q: Key Consulting has experienced remarkable growth, including doubling headcount this year. What factors have driven this expansion?
Neal: The experience and relationships of our senior consultants have been a massive factor in our quick success. Their ability to build trust, foster growth, and deliver exceptional service through retained and project searches has attracted top talent to want to join us. By creating an environment where consultants can learn and thrive, we’ve built a team that shares our commitment to solving client challenges creatively and effectively.
Q: You’ve recently grown the Singapore business to support APAC markets. What excites you most about this region?
Neal: APAC is a hub of growth driven by India’s and China’s mega-economies. The region’s steady population growth promises sustained economic expansion for years to come. Our presence in Singapore allows us to build deeper relationships with clients, listen to their hiring needs firsthand, and provide tailored solutions. This presence will be a critical factor in our success in the region and as a company.
Q: How are the new Healthcare & Life Sciences Division and Contract & Temporary Staffing services addressing clients’ evolving needs?
Neal: Healthcare and life sciences are thriving in Japan, driven by the ageing population and advancements in biotech. This sector will remain a critical part of our focus as we help clients navigate its unique challenges. The team has been great at recognising the legacy relationships we have fostered across our other core areas of HR, Accounting, and finance.
For contract and temporary staffing, we’re addressing shifts in workforce dynamics. Many professionals, including working parents and older workers, seek flexibility, such as shorter workweeks or project-based roles. These roles are still senior, which allows our existing candidate base to have other options when looking for work. This service also acts as an economic hedge, providing clients with shorter-term hiring options when full-time headcount cannot be secured during an economic downturn.
Q: Reflecting on Key Consulting’s success, what differentiates the company from others in the market?
Neal: Our specialisation and approach to client engagement set us apart. We’re deeply focused on solving hiring challenges, whether through retained, contract, or project-based solutions. Every client relationship is built on understanding their unique needs and providing tailored, creative solutions. We’re not transactional; we’re partners.
Q: As we launch excitedly into 2025, what are your primary goals for the coming year?
Neal: Strengthening our current teams and expanding our headcount will be critical. We’re looking to add six to eight consultants who share our values and want to grow with us. Our focus is on building quality relationships across Japan, APAC and globally while at the same time offering innovative solutions that address the unique challenges of each market. Agility, as the recruitment market evolves, with the use of technology, will also be pivotal for success in 2025 and moving forward.
Q: Looking further ahead, how do you envision Key Consulting’s role in shaping the future of executive search?
Neal: Japan will always be our founding speciality, but we are particularly focused on helping Japanese companies globalise and hire in challenging markets. Expanding into markets like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia will diversify our business and strengthen our Asian presence. Our goal is to build a robust, regional business that supports clients with global ambitions while staying true to our roots.
