Client Projects

What our clients say

We’d like to say that we bring a major impact to our clients’ international business operations. But we’ll let them speak for themselves:

Client	Challange	Solution	Result
	The client wished to address shortcomings in cross-cultural competence, global customer service, and global change management which were hampering global performance.	A BMIA™ Assessment was conducted with stakeholder interviews and a survey – this helped to identify which areas needed special attention. A highly interactive 1-day BMIA™ workshop was conducted with the global team on site in Basel, Switzerland.	“Universal Consensus provided inspirational and engaging leadership in facilitating a change management and customer focus empowerment session with our global HR team. By sharing an excellent balance of best practice and cultural contexts, coupled with actual strategies for practical applications and through interactive break outs, every team member concluded that a day with Universal Consensus opened doors to creative thinking and left us with a new concept on the power of possibility. We look forward to continuing to work with Universal Consensus to produce great transformative results.” Tricia Stewart, Head of Global Mobility, Roche International, Switzerland
	The client was experiencing challenges in its international sales operation, in particular, selling to the Chinese and sought an in-depth understanding of the cultural motivations of the buyer that would optimize sales in that region.	A BMIA™ Assessment was conducted to evaluate the challenge and BMIA™ Customized training was crafted which specifically addressed the deficits in understanding of the underlying culture as well as augmenting understanding of the market trends and opportunities for future business in that geography.	“I've been with FedEx for over 8 years, and the Universal Consensus training on Selling to the Chinese is the best training I've had during my FedEx career! In my mind, I was thinking that business is business, but you showed our sales team how much culture influences how business is conducted and decisions are made.” Heidi Lenhardt, International Sales Account Executive
	The client was having global operational efficiency and cross cultural communication challenges, including a synergy disconnect between its U.K. satellite operation and its U.S. based headquarters and requested an evaluation of the challenge.	The challenge was investigated in the U.S. and the U.K. by a full BMIA™ Assessment. Recommendations for changes in operational procedure and communication were made which included culturally-specific change management directives and BMIA™ Customized training was given in the U.S. and U.K.	“We have had the pleasure of retaining Universal Consensus to improve cross cultural communication & awareness between our U.S. and U.K. offices. They very adeptly was able to glean information from both offices, evaluate the challenges, and make significant recommendations through their BMIA training and strategic follow up that have helped us to move forward in a collaborative way. We witnessed immediate improvement & a new level of collaboration, cooperation & understanding. We are better today because of the BMIA program” Garry Ridge, CEO
	Whirlpool had certain cross-cultural communication challenges associated with its intranet site, in speaking to all its employees world-wide in a way they could understand,	CEO, Hummel, lead multiple brainstorming sessions and then helped the communications and web department draft their messaging in ways that were equally comprehensible and effective world-wide.	“Denise Pirrotti Hummel, CEO of Universal Consensus, and I met when she first moved to Italy. I was immediately impressed by her courage to follow a dream and make it real - sometimes against the odds. Over the years, I have seen her pursue her vision for a better world, drawing on her creativity and the bright universe that surrounds her. Ms. Hummel is one of those rare individuals who can navigate complexity to find reason and achieve balance.” Sarah Brady, Director, Communications, Global Product Business and Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool Corporation.
	Visit California identified its key challenge as preparing and educating the travel and tourism market to serve the growing number of Chinese visitors. The ultimate goal is to keep California top of mind and retain California’s competitive edge in the China market.	Universal Consensus was a critical part of the execution of Visit California’s China program. The Universal Consensus BMIA™ Assessment was performed utilizing the six comprehension lenses of the model to determine the main gaps in Visit California’s strategy to attract and retain Chinese visitors. We developed subsequent strategies and solutions to increase international travel; which prepared hospitality organizations and their staff to serve international tourists, ensure foreign guests’ expectations are met.	“We have experienced, first-hand, the work Universal Consensus is performing with Convention & Visitors Bureaus to help them to optimize their inbound tourism and FDI from China and other key foreign target nations. We are benefiting and will continue to benefit greatly from their guidance. Their knowledge of the consumer patterns in a variety of nations and their approach to developing strategies to drive this inbound consumption is exactly what our industry needs.” - Russell Betts, Council Member, City of Desert Hot Springs, California
	The client was having difficulty designing a training program that would have efficacy across the four branches of the military despite the vast differences in how the personnel in each branch is assessed and deployed.	BMIA™ Assessment and design relating to delivering consistent cross-cultural training to the four branches of the military.	"Denise Hummel of Universal Consensus presented to the Culture Team at the DLO. Her company specializes in training organizations, governments, and companies to address the complex challenges in strategy and communications when interacting with stakeholders from different cultures – from negotiations to acquisitions to conflict resolution. She expertly tailored the presentation to the current needs of the DoD with regard to cross-cultural training, and applied an in-depth analysis of the existing problem set to offer potential solutions – from objectives to curricula options." Allison S. Greene, Ph.D, Pentagon, Associate Director for Culture, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
	The client was having retention issues with international students who did not feel welcomed on campus.	BMIA™ Assessmen which lead to a strategic integrative solution to successfully integrate international students into the domestic population and training to students, faculty and staff regarding how to embrace international students and secure their retention.	“Universal Consensus workshops for our 80 Residential Life Advisors and university administrative staff on how to integrate international students into university life were very well received. Thank you so much for accomplishing so much in so little time -- with great stamina and finesse. Your pre-organization and research was very evident, and your execution was nimble, responsive, and intelligently done ... with the background lens theory forming the basis.” Dallas Kenny, Dean of International Students, University of Nebraska at Kearney
	The client had various different European clients that did not understand how the American consumer thinks and what drives them in the consumer market.	Universal Consensus served a number of their clients in assessing how to market European products in the American market.	"I’ve never met Americans with a more profound understanding of cultural objectivity or a more succinct and action-oriented way to implement these concepts at the negotiation table, in the marketplace or in the boardroom as the team at Universal Consensus." Giampiero Soru, SS&C Advertising, Milan, Italy
	The client had invited several delegations to the United States to study a variety of issues including conflict resolution, marketing and public relations and asked me to create workshops on these issues. The African delegation was here to hear about methods in which conflict can be resolved across cultures and the other delegations came to better understand how to attract the American tourism consumer.	Universal Consensus held multiple trainings for Ukraine, 13 countries of Africa, Turkmenistan, and 5 countries of the Middle East regarding cross-cultural conflict resolution and cross-cultural marketing and public relations.	"Rarely in one’s life do we hear a speaker whose depth of life experience, education, and expertise is combined with a personality that manages to infuse the content into the heart and mind of the audience. Denise Hummel of Universal Consensus is one of these people." Cath De Stefano, Director, Citizen Diplomacy Council, San Diego, California
	The client felt that operational efficiencies and communication within its multinational supply chain were not optimized across cultures and that training related to cross-cultural competence would help executives in the performance of their job with international teams, clients and supply chain.	Multiple BMIA™ Core trainings related to Cross-Cultural Core Competence	“I highly recommend the services provided by Universal Consensus and the value they provide on International Culture and Etiquette. They bring an expert level of understanding and solutions to international business issues.” John Oeth, Director, Engineering, Qualcomm Incorporated.
	The client needed someone who could help the ministers of various different nations to understand how other cultures perceive a nation who has just been the victim of sudden tragedy and how to restore that image so that tourists from various different cultures would continue to feel safe when travelling to these destinations (focus was on Thailand after the Tsunami).	Universal Consensus gave workshops regarding brand/image restoration after terrorism and/or natural disaster.	"If all the nations could embrace Ms. Hummel’s plea of Peace Through Tourism, we might actually develop such a sense of awareness and compassion through understanding each other, that the military of nations might become defunct for all but the gravest transgressions." H.E. Akel Biltaji - Minister to King Abdullah II of Jordan
	The client wanted to offer executives in the San Diego area an executive certification that would be marketable in this increasingly global business society.	Universal Consensus was Curriculum Designer and principal instructor for University of San Diego's Global Executive Certification Program on Cross-Cultural Core-competence and Multinational Business Strategy	“Universal Consensus assisted University of San Diego Office of Corporate and Professional Education to build a cross cultural competence program for working professionals and their knowledge of the subject matter is very impressive. Their attention to detail and thoroughness with the project has made the project go so much easier. I would recommend Universal Consensus for any projects with a cross cultural emphasis!” Jodi Waterhouse, Director of Executive Programs, University of San Diego
	REDI is a U.S. based energy company branching out globally. They need connections in their key markets; partners, distributors, clients and so on.	David Muller, EVP of REDI shares: “Universal Consensus has the global reach and connections to place your business in the middle of an international target market. The team at UC connected us with key partners in Singapore, China and Australia. Each of these countries would have required many months of research to find appropriate contacts, and an untold investment in market exploration had we made the effort on our own. With UC, we cut through the time and cost sensitive challenge of market penetration and found prospective partners almost overnight.”	“Denise and her team at Universal Consensus are creative masters of compiling the puzzle pieces of business. Their strategic thinking creates a clear pathway for businesses to achieve goals, domestically and internationally. She is a connector of first rate business relationships with a global reach. Leveraging the power of culture to optimize the bottom-line is exactly what UC does.” - David Muller, Executive Vice President, Resource Energy Development, Inc. We’re lucky to have Universal Consensus in our court as we traverse the minefield of emerging in our foreign target markets.” Robert Machen, CEO, Resource Energy Development Inc.