Joseph C. Sponholz

Joseph C. Sponholz is a Managing Director, Partner and Head of the Major Capital Projects Advisory Practice of Tier 1 global management consulting company L.E.K. Consulting.. He has expertise in Major Capital Project strategy, program optimization, global integrated supply chain strategy and operations, and operating performance improvement. Additionally, he is a member of the Commercial Committee overseeing the execution of the firm's Australian commercial strategy. He lives and works in Sydney, Australia.
Joe is born in Hackensack, New Jersey and grew up in Saddle River, New Jersey as well as the Upper East Side of New York City. He is a tri-citizen of Australia, Ireland, and the United States. Joe completed his undergraduate studies with honours from the College of Arts and Sciences at New York University. He earned a B.A in Politics and pursued minors in French and Economics, where he was distinguished at graduation as a University Honours Scholar (top 1% of his class).
Joe pursued his Juris Doctor degree at Fordham University School of Law. While in law school, Joe held the position of Editor of the ADR and The Law edition of the International Law Journal. He also made significant contributions as the first male Board member of the Fordham University Battered Women’s Advocacy Project, which led him to receive the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award in recognition of this efforts. He has been admitted to the Bars of New York, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., numerous Federal Bars and has had his General Counsel’s license in the State of Pennsylvania.
In his legal career, Joe worked as an attorney in the litigation group in the New York office of renowned law firm, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. He specialized in anti-trust law and professional sports representing notable clients such as the NBA Players Association, the NFL Players Association, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball. During this period, Joe was admitted to and practiced before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the District Court of the Southern District of New York, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
In 1999, Joe transitioned from the legal field to management consulting. He began with an internship atMcKinsey & Co. before securing a full-time position at The Mitchell Madison Group and Booz Allen & Hamilton. During his tenure, he focused on financial services and operations, offering strategic and operational guidance to Fortune 100 companies.
In 2002, Joe joined Textron, Inc. (NYSE: TXT), a diversified company with a global business model and a market value of US$14 billion. Textron's network of businesses includes Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Jacobsen, Kautex, Textron Financial and Textron Systems. At Textron Joe was made the youngest member of the Textron Leadership Team. Additionally, he served as Textron's inaugural Director of Globalization, where he played a key role in establishing and overseeing international purchasing offices in Rzezow, Poland, Shanghai, China and Chihuahua, Mexico. Joe's expertise in global sourcing earned him recognition in various publications and invitations to speak internationally. Towards the end of his tenure at Textron, he joined the Senior Leadership Team at E-Z-GO, assuming responsibility for Strategic Planning and Business Development. Notably, he played a vital role in steering the strategic direction and successful implementation of E-Z-GO's inaugural international production partnership in Guangzhou, China.
In 2006, Joe was recruited by Bain Capital to become the leader of Strategic Planning, Business Development, e-Commerce and Export at Keystone Automotive Operations, the world’s largest distributor of automotive aftermarket parts and accessories. In this role, Joe worked with his Bain Capital colleagues to develop a strategic vision for organic growth, JVs, partnerships, M&A, and new markets and new channels. He reported directly to the CEO appointed by Bain Capital and served as a member of the senior leadership team.
In 2008, Joe transitioned to BabyAge.com Inc., where he initially held the positions of Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Secretary . At that time, BabyAge.com was the largest independent online retailer specializing in pregnancy, infant, juvenile, and toddler products in the United States. . Three years later, Joe's role evolved, and he was promoted to President, General Counsel, and Secretary concurrently with the acquisition of BabyAge by the New York boutique private equity fund, Alumni Capital Network (“ACN”). During his tenure, Joe recapitalized the company by raising $16.5MM in growth VC in the 1st 18 months, drove 250% CM growth in 12 months, and strategically guided company to survive Amazon.com’s entry into its market segment.
In 2012, Joe relocated to Australia and assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer of RF Capital, Andrew Roberts' family office. As COO, he was responsible for overseeing and managing RF Capital's subsidiaries, holdings, affiliates, and various investments, which encompassed property, resources, hedge funds, private equity, stocks, bonds, currency, and other interests. During this period, Joe had overall responsibility of all aspects of RF Capital c.AUD 6bn in investments.
From 2014-2018, Joe was a Partner at Partners in Performance (“PIP”), where he collaborated with clients to achieve swift and sustainable performance enhancements. In 2014, he was recognized with the firm-wide award for Unleashing Potential in a client engagement, thanks to his contributions in improving business operations and reducing capital expenses for an Australian publicly listed rail and port company. Joe concluded his tenure at PIP in 2018 and subsequently joined his current employer, L.E.K. Consulting.
==Further Reading==
Joseph is married to Jo Ann Sponholz and a proud father of four children, stepson Seamus (27), Niamh (20), Aine (18) and Tara (17) and to Cooper the Chocolate Labrador Retriever (2). Joe also enjoys different type of sports. He has a black belt in Songham and Moo Duk Kwan styles of Tae Kwon Do and a certified Alpine Professional Ski Instructor since 1988 and has held a Level III certification from the Professional Ski Instructors Association of America
Additionally, Joseph is an author of two books, The College Companion (Random House, 1994) and The Student Athlete’s Guide to Winning Athletic Scholarships (Random House, 1997).
Joseph is an accomplished and experienced Board Director:
==Current:==
* Chairman of QIC’s Global Private Capital Investment Committee
* Chairman of QIC’s Backing Queensland Investment Fund Investment Committee
* Director, Paypa Plane
Past:
* Chairman, Professional Tour Golf Players Association (Oceania Golf Players Association) (2020-2022)
* Director, Rugby League Players Association (2016-2018)
* Director, Mongolian Resource Corporation (2013-2014),
* Director, Apex Minerals (2013-2014)
* Director, Phoenix Treatment Centre (2018)
* Director, Caron Treatment Centre (2010-11)
Category:People from Hackensack, New Jersey
Category:New York University alumni
Category:Fordham University alumni
Category:Directors
Category:Head
Category:Partnerships