Company: KPMG
Sector: Financial Services
University: Oxford Brookes
Degree: Business and Management
Location: London
Job title: Analyst
I was first attracted to consultancy because…
Throughout my university studies I always knew that I wanted a career where I could work with people and that had enough variety to stop me getting bored. As I approached the end of my three years at Oxford Brookes I am sure I’m not the only person to say I had still not developed any solid career plans. It was actually a tutor at university who suggested I would be well suited to consulting, which led to where I am today. I have always had a passion for business and after researching consultancy further, I was attracted by the variety of opportunities it offers, the work you do, and how the teams you work with vary completely depending on the client
What clients I currently work with are …
I work in the Financial Services sector (the graduate scheme encourages us to gain experience across both Banking and Insurance) and within this I am part of the Financial Management team. The work the team does looks to improve clients’ finance functions and helps them to manage risk, reduce costs and maintain financial controls. This could include improving processes, establishing shared services, changing the way they budget and helping clients to optimise their treasury function.
A normal day consists of …
I often get asked the question “so what do you actually do each day?” and this is a surprisingly difficult question to answer as I’m not sure I can say I ever have a “normal day”. Last week I was finishing work on a large transformation programme for an insurance firm, providing the team with project management support. Today I am working in the KPMG office in London undertaking research to help develop innovative thinking KPMG can take to clients. Next week I will be flying up to Edinburgh to join my new project team on client site. Alongside project work everyone tends to get involved with internal work which can range from organising events to CSR or charity work.
The first thing I do when I sit at my desk in the morning is…
This is an easy question to answer… coffee! Whether I am working in the KPMG office, on client site or away on a training course I tend to get to my desk early to grab my coffee, check through my emails and catch up with my team for updates on the project. After this I feel ready and prepared to go for the day!
If I could change one thing in consultancy it would be…
I expect I am not alone when I say that it would be bliss if all the work locations were perfect and all clients worked in exciting places! I hear stories of consultants working with clients in New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and London all in one month but sadly this is not always the case!
The best piece of advice I have ever been given is… Take an interest in everything that goes on around you I have stumbled across fantastic opportunities that have challenged me well out of my comfort zone, allowed me to develop a wide range of skills and provided me with the chance to meet some fantastic people both at KPMG and clients.
If you would like to nominate someone for our ‘Day in the Life of’ feature please email youngmca@mca.org.uk with the subject ‘A Day in the Life of’.