Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Sydney, Australia.
How did you get to your current job position?
I secured my role at Kearney after participating in their summer internship program. At the close of the internship when they offered me a graduate role, I was quick to say yes after experiencing the incredible opportunities and working with inspiring and enthusiastic individuals.
How did you choose your specialisation?
Within Kearney is the ignite team which specialises in business growth and creating and pursuing opportunities from the customer's perspective. We then launch these opportunities and new businesses that drive tangible and sustainable benefits for the top and bottom lines.
I chose to join ignite as I am inherently interested in customer experience, understanding the behavioural science behind choice and expectations and the power companies have to revolutionise their industry by focusing on their customer. It is also very exciting to execute the strategy and design into launching actual propositions and businesses and seeing the vision come to life.
What does your employer do?
My employer is a global management consulting firm, that develops and implements solutions and strategies for businesses to help them achieve their growth ambitions. Ignite in particular focuses on customer innovation and proposition design and works on projects for companies looking to launch new businesses and create additional value for their customer base.
What are your areas of responsibility?
My responsibilities vary depending on the project. To provide some examples, for an Australian insurance provider, I was responsible for developing the business case (excel model) to determine the viability of offering their claims processing operations as a service. For another example, for an Indian bank, I was responsible for supporting our team understand the current customer service gaps and then working with the client to design and implement initiatives to address the service shortfalls.
Can you describe a typical workday?
A typical workday would begin with a team standup where the project team and the client align on the objectives and deliverables today and address any blockers up front. I would spend the morning working on the key deliverables, for example supporting my UX design colleague in developing wire frames for a portal as part of a client deliverable. I would have meetings scattered throughout the day, either internal brainstorming sessions, meetings to update the client and get their feedback or interviews with subject matter experts to refine and validate our work. In the evening I would take some time to have dinner and walk my dog, and then hop back online to finish any outstanding tasks.
What are the career prospects for your job?
Consulting is a career with extensive job prospects as you get exposed to multiple industries and different types of problems; whether it be digital transformations, customer service design, procurement, strategy etc. My specialisation in customer service and proposition design and launching businesses could see me enter into a customer strategy role or in product ownership or management.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Definitely. Whilst I have a background in law, my colleagues come from a variety of backgrounds in commerce, engineering, design, marketing and mathematics.
What do you love the most about your job?
I love that I am constantly learning new things, being challenged in my thinking and being stimulated to approach problems in new ways.
What’s the biggest limitation of your job?
The biggest limitation is the hours worked, consulting isn't 9-5 and there are often requirements to travel, which is not for everyone.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student?