SEI Names Joel Beherndt Managing Director of Seattle Office

Building on Strong Momentum, SEI Names Joel Beherndt to Lead Continued Growth Across Seattle and the West

SEATTLE, Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SEI, a leading employee-owned management consulting firm, today announced the appointment of Joel Beherndt as Managing Director of its Seattle office. Joel Beherndt succeeds Bonnie Cote, who has led the Seattle market since its launch in 2023 and will remain with SEI as a Principal Consultant following parental leave.

Since launching three years ago, SEI Seattle has established a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest while increasingly serving clients across the broader West. SEI has deeps roots in supporting regulated industries and the Seattle team works with organizations spanning healthcare, aerospace, retail and consumer goods, financial services, life sciences, and transportation, bringing SEI's employee-owned consulting model to some of the region's most complex business challenges. Beherndt will lead the next stage of that growth, expanding SEI's reach across the West while continuing to build a locally rooted team of experienced consultants.

Building SEI's Presence Across the West

Beherndt brings extensive consulting and business development experience, with particular depth in large-scale strategy, technology, and operations transformations. Since joining SEI, he has played an important role in growing the Seattle business, developing executive client relationships, and helping organizations translate ambitious strategies into practical results. His approach reflects the principles on which SEI has built its business: experienced consultants close to the work, genuine relationships with clients, and an ownership mentality that emphasizes accountability for outcomes rather than simply delivering projects. "Building this market over the past three years has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career, and I couldn't be more confident in Joel as the person to lead us forward," said Bonnie Cote, outgoing Managing Director of SEI Seattle. "Joel has already made a tremendous impact on our team and our business. He cares deeply about our people, builds genuine relationships with clients, and has the ownership mentality and ambition to continue expanding what we've built. I'm incredibly excited to see him take the helm and lead SEI Seattle through its next stage of growth."

A Different Model for Growth

As Managing Director, Beherndt will focus on expanding SEI's presence across the West while preserving the entrepreneurial culture and client-first model that have shaped the Seattle business from the beginning. He will work closely with SEI's consultants and national leadership to grow existing partnerships, develop new relationships, and create opportunities for SEI's people to take on meaningful, complex work across the region.

"I'm excited to lead SEI's continued growth in the Puget Sound and across the West," said Beherndt. "There's a real opportunity here to build something distinctive: a consulting business where experienced people stay close to the work, relationships are built on trust rather than transactions, and everyone thinks like an owner because we are owners. We want to bring that model to more clients across the region by helping leaders tackle their hardest problems with teams that are pragmatic, accountable, and focused on outcomes that last."

Cote, who helped launch SEI Seattle in 2023 and has served as its Managing Director since 2024, will transition back to client consulting following parental leave.

"This transition is a reflection of the strength of what the Seattle team has built," said Bill Gallagher, CEO of SEI. "Bonnie has done an exceptional job establishing SEI in the market and creating a strong foundation for the future. Joel brings the leadership, relationships, and growth mindset to build on that momentum, and we're excited about what's ahead for Seattle and SEI's continued growth across the West."

About SEI

There's always a better way to do business, and SEI has more than 30 years of evidence to prove it. SEI helps some of the world's most recognizable brands solve problems, create opportunity, and achieve more than they could alone. If you haven't heard of them, that's by design.

SEI lets the work do the talking, delivering results without the overhead and flash that costs clients time and money. Instead, SEI's national team creates no-nonsense solutions grounded in real-world perspectives and expertise.

Kait Collins
email: [email protected]

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SOURCE SEI