David J. Ryan
Managing Partner

Mr. Ryan has over twenty years of experience across business development, marketing, operations, and executive management…and has worked with leading companies including Deloitte, KPMG, Hewitt, Ingenix, Forsythe and numerous others. He is a frequent speaker and writer on how services-based companies can achieve optimal performance across their business development operations resulting in revenue growth, improved profitability, scalability, and enhanced client relations.

After completing his MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Mr. Ryan began his career with IBM where he excelled in sales, marketing, and management positions. Following his days with IBM, Mr. Ryan worked extensively in the professional services sector in both execution and leadership capacities across business development and service delivery functions. It was during this phase of his career that he saw firsthand the rather "loose" approach to client development taken by most professional services.  

The common struggles seen in most professional services firms when it comes to client/revenue development made a significant impression on Mr. Ryan, and that became the premise on which he started his firm, Gray Matters Group. By streamlining the client development function through defined processes, compensation alignment, clarity of roles and responsibilities, appropriate staffing mixes, CRM systems, and training/skill building…he believes that professional services firms will be in a better position to serve clients and differentiate themselves from their completion.

Prior to Gray Matters Group, Mr. Ryan spent seven years as an Executive Committee member and SVP of Business Development and Marketing at The Revere Group, a leading technology and business consulting firm. He was responsible for the buildout of Revere's overall “go-to-market” strategy and processes.

Mr. Ryan has traveled extensively with stints in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. In addition, Mr. Ryan holds board and advisory positions with The Cara Program, Old St. Patrick's Church, the American Screenwriters Association, and the Archdiocese of Chicago's Young Adult Ministry Office.

In 1992, he was Executive Director of the Archdiocese of Chicago's 150th Anniversary Celebration. Working with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and Illinois State Senate President Philip J. Rock, he led a project team of Chicago-area business, civic and philanthropic leaders through a three year planning and execution cycle.

In addition to his Kellogg MBA, Mr. Ryan received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Miami University. He resides in Chicago with his wife and twin daughters.