Tomb Charts New Waters

Ben Tomb was raised in an area of western Pennsylvania where three major rivers—the Allegheny, the Susquehanna and the Genessee—have their source. It is from that place that he finds the inspiration for the name of his new endeavor, Headwaters Consulting.

Most recently managing director of KPMG Consulting's (McLean, VA), CRM, financial services, consulting practice, Tomb says that just as that zone in Western Pennsylvania was the source of clean water, he sees his new firm as "a source of fresh, clear thinking in seeking alternatives for our clients," through which he can seek "opportunities to be much more responsive to clients' needs, in a much more entrepreneurial fashion."

Tomb began his career as a marine engineer and has held executive positions in such companies as GE, Citigroup/Travelers, IBM, CIGNA, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and HSBC/Marine Midland Bank. That wide swath of experience has prepared him to "confer with the C-level people and work with them in improving their business results, particularly from a customer's perspective," Tomb says.

Headwaters has begun working with a number of educational institutions and economic development commissions, which Tomb says is providing the new firm with "a broad cross-section of exposure to a number of different industries."

Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology. View Full Bio