PwC’s Olivia Stanley is a specialist in change management and communications, and leads transformations with Pharma and Life Sciences clients.
A gifted linguist, she joined the firm with a first class honours degree after studying at University of Exeter, including a year working and studying in Madrid and Bologna.
Despite those achievements, the 2023 MCA Awards Chartered Management Consultant of the Year finalist says that gaining the ChMC accreditation has been crucial to giving her confidence in her career. Olivia said:
“I think I’ve always had imposter syndrome. Asking myself why am I here? Am I good enough to be here? Am I actually OK to be the one advising my clients? Although the accreditation gave me a sense of achievement, it was the process of becoming chartered that was most valuable, as it gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I’d accomplished during my time at PwC, which in turn helped my imposter syndrome.”
When asked which of the competencies mattered to her most, Olivia is emphatic about the value of one particular part of Chartered. She said:
“Values, ethics and behaviours really resonated with me because I’ve always been a strong believer in the fact that we’ve got to do what’s right and not just to make money or bring in revenue. We’ve got to do the right thing by our clients. This is an accreditation that I’m happy to have next to my name because it has values and ethics at its heart.”
Olivia believes ethics are vital to the future of the Consulting profession, and fundamental in giving clients the confidence to put trust in our services.
“I think having the confidence to be the person who stands up and says, ‘actually that’s not ethically right, we can’t do that’ is essential.”
Being a finalist was a surprise to Olivia and she is modest about her chances of winning but is conscious of what it would mean to her team. She said: “It would mean a huge amount but I am definitely not expecting to win. I never expected to be nominated. There are so many people who’ve really backed and supported me in my career. I’ve also got an amazing team working with me. It would mean a great deal to them.”
It would also mean a great deal to advance Olivia’s commitment to diversity. She said:
“I’m a female in what can sometimes feel like quite a male dominated industry. I’d like to show others that being an outsider – whether that’s being female or having something else that makes you different – doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed in what you do.”
Find out more about the Chartered Management Consultant Award.