SciVida Top Consultant Accepts Prestigious Award in New York City

NEW YORK, June 27, 2025 – SciVida Principal Chris Barger, PhD, traveled to New York to accept his Top Consultant award at a beautiful gala hosted by ALM Consulting Magazine at Essex House New York last evening.

Joining Chris to cheer him on were SciVida leaders and mentors Jeff Liepman, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Kate Jara, Vice President of People and Talent, and Julia Hoina, Principal.

Being recognized in the category of Excellence in Client Service, Chris attributes his success, in part, to his ability to relate to others. “I take great pride in being able to create meaningful connections with people. I always aim to cultivate a supportive, collegial, and enjoyable dynamic on my teams, and I believe that only comes from espousing those views personally,” he said. Chris continued, “I work hard to ensure I am someone my clients want to work with, not only because they know I will do everything I can to ensure the success of an engagement, but also because they know I will bring my genuine self to our interactions.”

In his remarks upon accepting his award, Chris said, “There is nothing I find more professionally gratifying than seeing the switch flip from being viewed as a client’s ‘vendor’ to being perceived as a trusted advisor and thought partner.” He continued, “We don’t get to that point by blindly agreeing with clients or always having the right answer. We get there by being honest, being present, and being human.” Part of that process is challenging clients’ ingoing perceptions and infusing fresh perspectives. Importantly, achieving trusted advisor status with clients also requires being accountable for the challenges they face.

Consulting Magazine has been identifying and honoring top consultants every year for the past two and a half decades, receiving nominations and evaluating the accomplishments of hundreds of distinguished practitioners each year.

Along with excellence in client service, additional categories for 2025 Top Consultant awards included excellence in cybersecurity and data privacy, excellence in digital transformation, excellence in environmental and social governance, excellence in leadership, excellence in regulation and compliance, industry innovators, technology innovators, and lifetime achievement award.

For more information, see the Consulting Magazine story.