1Why did you join Berkeley?

I joined Berkeley to reinvigorate my career passion, which is delivering cutting edge strategy and consulting work for clients. Having spent close to ten years at my former employer, a large global consulting firm, I had lost a bit of the spark due to an ever-increasing amount of admin, politics and targets.

Berkeley offered me the opportunity to focus on working with clients day-to-day, on interesting engagements, without the red tape and in an extremely supportive environment. Another significant factor for me was being able to work across all industries, despite my financial services background. I feel I can bring a lot of experience and value to clients outside of financial services, and Berkeley have empowered me to do so.

2What types of engagements excite you the most?

Variety is key! I thoroughly enjoy getting into the detail of a tricky client programme, navigating through complex risks and issues to keep delivery on track. I have also loved partaking in technology strategy engagements, working with client teams to understand their own roadmaps and success criteria to define solutions that are right for them.

I feel that being able to see clear business value outcomes that benefit our clients is a consistent factor that underpins all engagements that excite me. Knowing that a strategy I’m working on in partnership with a client, or leading a transformative programme with clear benefits for how a client operates is a huge driver.

3What are your values and how have they informed your career?

I live by a number of key values, which have been imperative to develop throughout my career. I’ll discuss two examples which have been influential on my career.

Firstly, I value being kind. Kindness is something that my parents instilled in me from pretty much the day I was born, and that resonates through both my personal and professional life. From initially starting a relationship through to fostering a relationship over a long period, kindness and empathy are critical inputs to this process, and definitely apply to the workplace (and more widely a career in consulting!).

Secondly, the art of listening. Being able to listen, to acknowledge, to understand, and also to ask if you’re not sure or need clarification – these skills are vital for building long lasting relationships. There’s nothing worse than speaking to a client or colleague who says, “you didn’t listen to what I asked for”; investing time in listening is extremely valuable to avoid such situations but also to build trust.