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.