Bainies James Brooks and Sho Ikeno receive Bright-Dix Award

Bain & Company has awarded its annual Bright-Dix Award to two APAC based company members: James Brooks and Sho Ikeno. 

The global strategy consulting firm launched the award over three decades ago, to honour the memory of two former Bain & Company managers (Nicholas Bright and Peter Dix) who tragically passed away in the Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December of 1988. 

The award recognises at least one employee made an “exceptional contribution to the professional development of their fellow colleagues” which “embodies Nick and Peter’s dedication to the betterment of their co-workers and peers,” explained Kara Gruver, the firm’s chief talent officer.

This year, the prize went to a duo of colleagues: James Brooks (based in the Melbourne office) and Sho Ikeno (based in the Tokyo office). The recognition sees the two Associate Partners join a select group of 44 former award recipients, 29 of which still work at the global consultancy. 

James Brooks has been with Bain since 2013 (ex-EY) and is a leader in the firm’s Retail and Consumer Products practices. He has extensive M&A, strategy and transformation experience, which he uses to work across a wide range of strategic programs, including pricing, operating models, adjacencies and transformation. Outside of retail, James has led engagements in financial services, industrials and logistics.

Beyond client-facing work, he is internally one of the more well-known Bainies in Australia, having apprenticed more than 100 new joiners across the firm’s Sydney, Melbourne and Perth offices – earning himself the nickname ‘Godfather of the People Development Committee’.

Sho Ikeno has been with Bain his entire career, and has worked from the firm’s Tokyo, New York and Johannesburg offices. He is an expert in the firm's Retail, Financial Services and Strategy practices, where he advises both multinational and Japanese clients on topics ranging from corporate and growth strategy to company transformation. 

Internally, Ikeno leads Bain & Company’s summer domestic internship program in Tokyo and serves as the office’s local B.E.S.T. champion, a program dedicated to the wellbeing and development of Bain employees. He also plays a large role in the firm’s people development activities, among others serving as an internal trainer for the Consultant class.

“James and Sho both possess a passion for leadership and the professional development of their fellow Bainies, serving as continuous sources of inspiration for those who work around them. We are honuored to present this award to these two paragons of excellence, who are renowned for their positive impact on employees across all levels,” said Gruver. 

Former winners of the Bright-Dix Award include: Jim Verbeeten (now a partner), Nicolás López (now at BCG), Shyam Unnikrishnan (partner), Mark Daoust (partner), Saber Sherrard (partner), and Steven Tallman (partner).