Consultant
Sysdoc
I never thought I would be a consultant. I studied and started a career in STEM before moving from Australia to London and joining an SME consultancy as a transformation consultant. The idea of this job that I had in my head couldn’t be further from my experience.
My favourite thing about consulting is the huge variety of projects and clients I’ve been able to support. Early in my consulting career, I worked on a global operating model transformation for a sustainable technology company. I found myself working directly with senior stakeholders and leading change impact workshops independently. Most recently, I supported a humanitarian organisation that operates in over 80 countries in upgrading their ERP system, modernising and stabilising their operations to ensure they can continue to deliver the meaningful work they do far into the future. My engineering degree gave me robust problem-solving skills that I now use every day to make the complex simple and deliver value to clients.
Working at a smaller company, I have the opportunity to be involved in many different aspects of the business. Beyond client work, I have also grown our volunteering programme to form partnerships with two local charities in London, lead on business development initiatives in industries that interest me and provided input into our methodologies and ways of working to streamline and innovate our consulting approach. I’m also surrounded every day by incredibly talented people, and I will always try to learn as much as I can from my peers.
This industry does come with busy periods and pressure from clients to deliver. A speaker at a Young MCA event once spoke about being a ‘corporate athlete’, prioritising your diet, exercise and sleep in order to perform your best at work. This really resonated with me, and I definitely notice the shift in my mood and energy if any of these things slip. I work hard to make the time to eat proper meals each day and fit in a little bit of exercise, even if that’s just a walk outside over my lunch break..
Hybrid working really facilitates this balance. I’m lucky that I can be quite flexible with my time working from the office, client site and home, so I can adjust the days that I’m in each week depending on what projects I have on. We have colleagues based all over the UK, so the days that we’re all in person together and collaborating are always really productive and energising. Equally, my days working from home where I can log off and start my evening without the stress of the London commute are also really important.
A career in consulting is what you make of it. Being curious, proactive, and open to challenges are qualities that will take you far – say yes to projects that stretch you and keep learning every day. This career is full of opportunities to create meaningful impact for clients and the wider community. If you’re looking for a career where you can solve complex problems and shape change, consulting might be the perfect fit.