ABOUT

Allio Associates is a strategy consulting firm, headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.

We offer a portfolio of practical strategy tools, processes, and perspectives to clients from a broad array of sectors and industries.

What differentiates us?

- decades of operational, consulting, and innovation experience
- multi-industry, multi-sector perspective
- practical tools and language
- hands-on experience practicing what we preach
- a collaborative engagement model that builds capacity.

Our team

Our clients directly collaborate with the principals. We often expand program teams by tapping a network of industry and functional experts.

MICHAEL K. ALLIO

Michael is a strategy and innovation specialist, offering decades of diverse strategy consulting and operating experience. He launched Allio Associates in 2001, and has advised clients in a range of sectors and industries. His operating experience is also multifaceted. He has served as the Deputy Director of Strategy & Management at the Gates Foundation, Chairman and interim CEO of a development-stage biotech firm, Director and Principal of a manufacturing start-up, and CEO of a product development and consumer products firm.

Recent work

Michael’s current client work spans the non-profit, philanthropic, and private sectors. Recent projects include:

- advising foundations, social enterprises and nonprofits on strategy, theories of action, innovation and metrics
- leading a product development and design enterprise innovating at the intersection of healthy food, design, and medicine
- leading product development, strategy, and strategic partnering programs for a drug development firm
- formulating and implementing innovation strategies for several higher ed institutions.

Experience

Mr. Allio’s consulting portfolio includes directing more than 100 strategy programs for organizations that range from Fortune 100 firms to startups, universities, nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies. He has managed restructuring programs, crafted marketing strategies, and forged strategic alliances for clients in the US, Europe, the Caribbean, and India. Example projects:

- philanthropic strategy development for impact-focused private foundations
- corporate strategy and organizational alignment programs for the integration of 5 mature industrial products firms
- innovation strategy development, curriculum/program development, and implementation support for three universities

Michael’s operating experience ranges from the Gates Foundation to Fortune 1000 firms to startups. At Gates, as the pioneering Deputy Director of Strategy & Management, he translated strategy into practical implementation programs, designed portfolio and performance management systems, and enhanced the alignment and impact of $1B in grants and contracts. His measurement work focused on creating performance metrics, outcome evaluations, and data systems for a $400M annual portfolio. And he spearheaded special innovation initiatives.

He has led startups in the pharma (G-I therapeutics, HIV therapeutics); manufacturing (automotive, hardware, food); and consumer products (food, design) arenas. His scope has included strategy, operations’ management, product development, marketing, fundraising, and strategic alliances, including programs with Black & Decker, Home Depot, and GM. Several of the startups have achieved favorable exits.

Additional background

Mr. Allio has published more than 25 peer-reviewed articles on strategy. His articles appear in the Journal of Business Strategy, Strategy & Leadership, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and elsewhere. He has also co-authored, with Robert Allio, the book: Practical Strategy For Family Businesses. He has earned 11 patents, is an honors graduate of Harvard (where he was a John Harvard Scholar), and speaks French (when appropriate). He has served on a number of Boards, including the Board of The Rhode Island Foundation, a community foundation with over $1.4B in assets.

ROBERT J. ALLIO

Dr. Allio is a noted strategist, educator, and author. He offers a broad range of experience and insight: he has led top-level strategy consulting and management education projects for hundreds of firms in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and India. He has held a range of senior leadership positions in large and small organizations, and has developed his perspective of strategy and leadership issues over the past decades through teaching and writing.

Consulting experience

Dr. Allio founded his first management consulting firm, Robert J. Allio & Associates, Inc., in Boston, after leaving Arthur D. Little, in 1979. Over the past four decades, his clients have included 3M, New York Life, GTE, Digital Equipment, Allied-Signal, Dominion Textile, Dupont, USX, Weyerhaeuser, and the U.S., Canadian, and Puerto Rican governments.

Corporate & academic background

Robert’s corporate background includes senior operating experience with Babcock & Wilcox, General Electric, Noranda Mines, and Westinghouse Electric. His academic background includes positions as Dean of the School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was instrumental in launching one of the country’s earliest successful incubator programs. He has also held an appointment as Professor of Management at Babson College, and is currently a Professor at Brown University, where he teaches Leadership in two Masters programs.

His publishing experience is also significant. He has authored more than 100 articles on strategic management and leadership, and a number of books. His latest, Seven Faces Of Leadership, presents his perspective on strategy and leadership.

Additional background

Dr. Allio has designed and led seminars on strategy and leadership for The Conference Board, Business Week, the YPO, and many other private and professional organizations. He is past-president of the North American Society for Corporate Planning. He has served on the Board of Directors of a number of private firms, and has been particularly active in the non-profit sector, focusing on strategy and leadership challenges.