About 221b Consulting

Solving Complex Problems with Logic, Experience, and Independence

We’re senior-level strategists who have spent decades in Fortune 500 trenches. Now we bring that expertise to organizations that need results, not reports.

Why 221b?

Our name draws inspiration from classic detective fiction. The famous London address where literature’s greatest analytical mind unraveled mysteries through careful observation and logical deduction. We bring that same spirit of clarity and focus to your business challenges.

Your problems deserve straightforward, practical solutions. Our team combines decades of Fortune 500 experience with the authenticity and responsiveness of a boutique firm. We see what others miss, and we’re committed to guiding you directly and transparently at every stage.

Our Story

We founded 221b Consulting after more than twenty years in the corporate world, designing risk-management programs, shaping strategic and operational plans for Fortune 500 companies, healthcare systems, and tech startups. Along the way, we discovered an opportunity to better align consulting with what clients truly need: solutions that are realistic, actionable, and delivered by senior leaders who’ve walked in your shoes.

When you work with us, you get partners who’ve been in the boardrooms during crises providing guidance, defended budget decisions to demanding stakeholders, and steered executive teams through complex transitions. We’ve faced the same challenges you’re up against, and we leverage that firsthand knowledge to create answers that actually work.

How We’re Different

Hands-On Expertise

We’ve built programs from the ground up: insurance and enterprise risk management programs, crisis-response protocols, strategic roadmaps that shape organizational growth. These aren’t theoretical exercises. They’re lived experiences that inform every recommendation we make.

Agile, Responsive Delivery

Our model is designed for speed and flexibility. No waiting weeks for approvals or sitting through unnecessary layers of review. When you reach out, we answer. When you need a solution, we deliver it promptly and efficiently.

Unbiased, Insightful Guidance

We bring an external perspective, free from internal constraints or hidden agendas. That allows us to focus solely on your objectives and offer honest, constructive advice, even when it’s not what you expected to hear.

Partnership-Driven Approach

We view every engagement as the start of a long-term relationship. We’ve even recommended against outside help when we believed you could succeed on your own. When we do work together, you benefit from genuine commitment, transparent communication, and solutions that last.

Fortune 500 Knowledge, Boutique Agility

Our team honed its skills at organizations whose decisions affect thousands of people worldwide. Now we bring that same caliber of expertise directly to you, without the overhead, so you receive premier insight at a cost that makes sense.

Our Team

Ethan Harrington

Co-Founder & Principal

Lisa Huhman

Co-Founder & Consultant

Mary Roop

Consultant

Client Success Stories

As independent management consultants, we work side by side with organizations to strengthen their strategic operations, shape enterprise risk and insurance programs, and deliver clear financial benefits. Every engagement focuses on helping clients improve decision-making with more certainty, signals, and drivers, reducing costs and premiums, planning, preparing, and exercising crisis response, enhancing market relationships, and building stronger forward-looking companies. Here are six client success stories that illustrate how a strategic approach creates lasting value.