Sean McDevitt

Partner

United States

Sean has a proven record of delivering profitable growth from initial strategy formulation, team building and recruitment, to successful launch, implementation, and sustaining operations.

Education

Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University (Evanston, IL. US)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Brown University (Providence, RI, US)
Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Business Economics

Past Experience

Cartesian, Inc. (Boston)
VP, North American Strategy and Management Consulting
118218 Le Numéro France (Paris)
Président Directeur Général
118//Media (Windsor, UK)
Chief Operating Officer

Sean is a Partner based in the Boston office and leads our TIME (Telecommunications, Information Technology, Media, and Electronics) and Private Equity Practices in the USA. Sean has extensive experience in investment due diligence/M&A in the communications industry, broad wireless experience in market entry and spectrum auctions, and a broad range of cable/MSO/fiber business services markets.

Sean has nearly 30 years of experience in consulting and operating roles. Most recently he was Vice President at Cartesian, Inc., where he was responsible for their North American Strategy and Management Consulting operations. Previously he was a VP/Partner in the group’s strategy consulting arm, Cambridge Strategic Management Group (CSMG), during two stints – from 1996-2002 and again in 2010-2013.

Previously, Sean held several operating roles, serving as Président Directeur Général of 118218 Le Numéro France, which he directed from greenfield entrant to #1 position in the French directory enquiries market. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of 118//Media, the lead generation business of the UK’s leading directory provider, 118118, and as SVP in charge of EU Expansion.

Sean earned his BA in Classics and Business Economics from Brown University in Providence, RI, USA,  and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.

Sean lives just outside of Boston with his wife and three children and remains active in ice hockey as a coach and an official.

Reshaping telecom investment in a next-generation world
Reshaping telecom investment in a next-generation world
Telco operators are facing declining profitability from a combination of stagnant or negative revenue growth resulting from competition and increasing CAPEX/OPEX caused by increasing user traffic. While operators have always run efficiency programs, traditional methods are no longer sufficient to meet current financial constraints and future market evolution. This Viewpoint explains how successfully managing costs requires a new, more granular, holistic approach.
Unlocking sustainability value in private equity
Unlocking sustainability value in private equity
Private equity (PE) is leaving billions of dollars in sustainability value on the table. While some practitioners focus on the value proposition of sustainability, the current status leaves much to be desired. Gaps in current approaches include cumbersome frameworks focused on risk compliance rather than value creation, difficulty capturing the financial benefits of a sustainability strategy, lack of clarity around which KPIs to track, and significant communication issues between general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs).
Migrating to the next network
Migrating to the next network
The telecom industry is evolving rapidly, simultaneously witnessing the rise of new, advanced network transitions while current technology becomes obsolete. This Viewpoint explores how mobile telecom operators can effectively implement customer migration acceleration programs to optimize operations, migrate customers to advanced networks, and unlock new opportunities in a future-ready telecom landscape.
Enabling a sustainable telco ecosystem
Enabling a sustainable telco ecosystem
Sustainability has become increasingly important to telco business strategy and operations. Although individual 5G equipment is more energy-efficient than its predecessors, the need for more extensive, denser networks will increase overall direct energy consumption. Amid rising energy prices, how can telcos achieve their sustainability goals, while enabling broader decarbonization? In this Viewpoint, we provide frameworks and strategies telcos can use to improve sustainability.
Operations 4.0
Operations 4.0
The five tech pillars that will make or break telco operators in 2022
Edge computing: Hype or ripe?
With the expansion of technology worldwide, it is certain that more compute capacity closer to where the data is created and/or used will be needed.
Closing in: The development of CPaaS towards a cohesive market structure
Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) allows businesses to develop and manage communications features without needing to develop and maintain the infrastructure on the back end of the service. CPaaS makes it easier than ever for companies to create differentiating customer communication experiences while promising to reduce costs and speed up innovation.
Seizing the IoT opportunity in the 5G era
In light of accelerated industrial digitalization, there is a consensus that the IoT market has significant, yet untapped, potential. This potential seems more reachable with the arrival of 5G capabilities such as vastly improved speeds and reduced latency, all of which are poised to accelerate the adoption of IoT solutions across industry sectors. Over the next few months, Arthur D. Little will publish a series of viewpoints with insights on how to capture and scale this opportunity.
The race to the home butler
Are telcos about to miss the digital home service opportunity?
Private Campus Networks
The demand for Private Campus Networks offers operators an opportunity for value generation – we estimate the global market size to be €60-70bn by 2025. If operators do not act now and prepare accordingly, they risk missing out. Enterprises have economically sensible use cases and technologically justified needs for private 5G or LTE technology on their premises. But, few operators to date have developed a strategic approach to satisfy demand, which is why enterprises have begun to fight for access to their own spectrum.
R2V platform: The 5G growth engine
While most telcos around the world have been preparing for 5G, little attention is paid to B2C services in this regard. Most developments are focused on various vertical industries. However, telcos haven’t been quite successful in B2B use-case areas; most of their revenues have come from the B2C mass market. Since telcos have lost their service power against OTT1 and O2O2 platforms, they have fallen into bit-pipe in LTE.
Delivering the Digital Dividend
The EUR 200bn free-cash-flow opportunity for telcos
Realizing the potential of the Internet of Things with 5G
Despite the hype, the Internet of Things (IoT) has yet to deliver its promised benefits to industrial companies. The advent of 5G removes many of the technical barriers to its successful adoption, accelerating digitalization. However, as this article explains, realizing the potential of the IoT requires businesses to focus first on their needs and then on the available options to implement the best solutions for future success.

Sean is a Partner based in the Boston office and leads our TIME (Telecommunications, Information Technology, Media, and Electronics) and Private Equity Practices in the USA. Sean has extensive experience in investment due diligence/M&A in the communications industry, broad wireless experience in market entry and spectrum auctions, and a broad range of cable/MSO/fiber business services markets.

Sean has nearly 30 years of experience in consulting and operating roles. Most recently he was Vice President at Cartesian, Inc., where he was responsible for their North American Strategy and Management Consulting operations. Previously he was a VP/Partner in the group’s strategy consulting arm, Cambridge Strategic Management Group (CSMG), during two stints – from 1996-2002 and again in 2010-2013.

Previously, Sean held several operating roles, serving as Président Directeur Général of 118218 Le Numéro France, which he directed from greenfield entrant to #1 position in the French directory enquiries market. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of 118//Media, the lead generation business of the UK’s leading directory provider, 118118, and as SVP in charge of EU Expansion.

Sean earned his BA in Classics and Business Economics from Brown University in Providence, RI, USA,  and his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.

Sean lives just outside of Boston with his wife and three children and remains active in ice hockey as a coach and an official.

Reshaping telecom investment in a next-generation world
Reshaping telecom investment in a next-generation world
Telco operators are facing declining profitability from a combination of stagnant or negative revenue growth resulting from competition and increasing CAPEX/OPEX caused by increasing user traffic. While operators have always run efficiency programs, traditional methods are no longer sufficient to meet current financial constraints and future market evolution. This Viewpoint explains how successfully managing costs requires a new, more granular, holistic approach.
Unlocking sustainability value in private equity
Unlocking sustainability value in private equity
Private equity (PE) is leaving billions of dollars in sustainability value on the table. While some practitioners focus on the value proposition of sustainability, the current status leaves much to be desired. Gaps in current approaches include cumbersome frameworks focused on risk compliance rather than value creation, difficulty capturing the financial benefits of a sustainability strategy, lack of clarity around which KPIs to track, and significant communication issues between general partners (GPs) and limited partners (LPs).
Migrating to the next network
Migrating to the next network
The telecom industry is evolving rapidly, simultaneously witnessing the rise of new, advanced network transitions while current technology becomes obsolete. This Viewpoint explores how mobile telecom operators can effectively implement customer migration acceleration programs to optimize operations, migrate customers to advanced networks, and unlock new opportunities in a future-ready telecom landscape.
Enabling a sustainable telco ecosystem
Enabling a sustainable telco ecosystem
Sustainability has become increasingly important to telco business strategy and operations. Although individual 5G equipment is more energy-efficient than its predecessors, the need for more extensive, denser networks will increase overall direct energy consumption. Amid rising energy prices, how can telcos achieve their sustainability goals, while enabling broader decarbonization? In this Viewpoint, we provide frameworks and strategies telcos can use to improve sustainability.
Operations 4.0
Operations 4.0
The five tech pillars that will make or break telco operators in 2022
Edge computing: Hype or ripe?
With the expansion of technology worldwide, it is certain that more compute capacity closer to where the data is created and/or used will be needed.
Closing in: The development of CPaaS towards a cohesive market structure
Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) allows businesses to develop and manage communications features without needing to develop and maintain the infrastructure on the back end of the service. CPaaS makes it easier than ever for companies to create differentiating customer communication experiences while promising to reduce costs and speed up innovation.
Seizing the IoT opportunity in the 5G era
In light of accelerated industrial digitalization, there is a consensus that the IoT market has significant, yet untapped, potential. This potential seems more reachable with the arrival of 5G capabilities such as vastly improved speeds and reduced latency, all of which are poised to accelerate the adoption of IoT solutions across industry sectors. Over the next few months, Arthur D. Little will publish a series of viewpoints with insights on how to capture and scale this opportunity.
The race to the home butler
Are telcos about to miss the digital home service opportunity?
Private Campus Networks
The demand for Private Campus Networks offers operators an opportunity for value generation – we estimate the global market size to be €60-70bn by 2025. If operators do not act now and prepare accordingly, they risk missing out. Enterprises have economically sensible use cases and technologically justified needs for private 5G or LTE technology on their premises. But, few operators to date have developed a strategic approach to satisfy demand, which is why enterprises have begun to fight for access to their own spectrum.
R2V platform: The 5G growth engine
While most telcos around the world have been preparing for 5G, little attention is paid to B2C services in this regard. Most developments are focused on various vertical industries. However, telcos haven’t been quite successful in B2B use-case areas; most of their revenues have come from the B2C mass market. Since telcos have lost their service power against OTT1 and O2O2 platforms, they have fallen into bit-pipe in LTE.
Delivering the Digital Dividend
The EUR 200bn free-cash-flow opportunity for telcos
Realizing the potential of the Internet of Things with 5G
Despite the hype, the Internet of Things (IoT) has yet to deliver its promised benefits to industrial companies. The advent of 5G removes many of the technical barriers to its successful adoption, accelerating digitalization. However, as this article explains, realizing the potential of the IoT requires businesses to focus first on their needs and then on the available options to implement the best solutions for future success.

More About Sean
  • Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University (Evanston, IL. US)
    Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Brown University (Providence, RI, US)
    Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Business Economics
  • Cartesian, Inc. (Boston)
    VP, North American Strategy and Management Consulting
  • 118218 Le Numéro France (Paris)
    Président Directeur Général
  • 118//Media (Windsor, UK)
    Chief Operating Officer