Senior Consultant
Hunter Healthcare
What surprised me most when I entered consulting was the sheer variety. The industries consultants can work in are almost limitless and the work itself is equally diverse. Despite this variety, many consultants develop the same core skills. Success often comes down to your ability to solve problems, communicate clearly, manage competing priorities and build strong relationships. Learning how to think on your feet, adapt your style to different stakeholders and translate complexity into something actionable can allow you to become a trusted advisor to your clients without being an expert quite yet.
Over time, I’ve realised that the projects I enjoyed most weren’t necessarily the most complex. They were the ones where I could see a clear connection between the work being done and the people it would ultimately benefit. Supporting NHS organisations has been some of the most fulfilling work I’ve done because it combines the problem-solving aspects of consulting with tangible public impact.
One project that stands out involved supporting a group of NHS trusts that were coming together to improve patient care, tackle financial challenges and standardise services across their region. Like many Trusts, they were managing multiple transformation programmes simultaneously, including preparations for a new electronic patient record system. The challenge wasn’t a lack of ideas. It was ensuring that every digital initiative aligned with the organisation’s broader goals and could realistically be delivered within existing resource and financial constraints.
Our role was to help create a clear digital plan that connected strategy with delivery. By bringing together programmes, dependencies, risks, benefits and ROI into a single view, leaders could get approval and funding for priority projects. What made the project rewarding was that it wasn’t strategy for strategy’s sake. It helped transform ambition into progress while ensuring that limited resources were directed towards the initiatives with the greatest impact.
This project shaped how I think about consulting as a career. While demanding periods are inevitable, I’ve learned that maintaining energy and performance over the long term requires balance. Work-life balance isn’t something that appears on its own; it requires conscious boundaries. For me, that means protecting time for the gym and prioritising sleep. It can feel counterintuitive when a deadline is looming, but taking care of yourself often makes you far more productive than trying to squeeze in extra hours.
The people around you also make a huge difference. Hunter has retained a strong people-first culture from its roots sourcing NHS talent, with a genuine emphasis on working together, learning from colleagues and spending time in the office. While tools in the Microsoft suite are everyday staples, some of the best ideas come from working in person. Being able to walk across the room to ask a question, test an idea or have an informal conversation helps build relationships, confidence and knowledge much faster than working in isolation.
For anyone considering consulting as a career, my advice is to be curious about the reality of the job. Speak to consultants across different firms and sectors, understand what their days look like and whether the work genuinely interests you. Consulting can open many doors, but the most rewarding careers are usually built around subjects you care about. Work occupies a significant part of our lives. Finding an industry, mission or problem space that excites you makes the challenges far more enjoyable and the successes far more meaningful.