Our people

When and why did you join?
I joined The Berkeley Partnership in January 2009. I think what attracted me initially to Berkeley was the opportunity to work in a private partnership which was, perhaps, less bureaucratic than some of the larger consulting firms.

Personal development?
I think it’s definitely been a really great opportunity to have more senior exposure. On a number of projects I’m working directly with clients at a Board level – and really what that means is you get a much better chance to influence change, but also I’m helping the clients to learn about tackling whatever problem they have, and equally it’s a great opportunity for me to learn about how their companies operate, so it’s a win-win. 

How are we different?
I suppose the thing that I enjoy is the fact that we get the balance right. We do very complex, challenging pieces of work and at the same time, it’s really important the culture we have around being people focused, it’s a very family-friendly place to work and I think everybody really takes a collaborative approach to what we do, and I think that’s fantastic.

Most satisfying project?
Well there have been loads! I suppose what I would highlight would be one particular role I did with an oil and gas firm, doing a programme QA, so an assurance piece of work. It was a global transformation programme, but they were taking the deployment site next to Australia and New Zealand, so I went with a colleague down to Australia to basically meet the team, interview them, and help them get a sense of assurance around whether or not they were on track with what they were doing and helping them to understand where they could improve, so that they were set up for success.

Work/life balance?
I guess one of the things I enjoy about working at Berkeley is the fact that you are working independently in a very autonomous way, and really what that means is that you are in charge of your own destiny, so I’m able to balance the work that I do for my clients with the other activities we do internally with Berkeley, with a number of other things I do. For example, I’m a non-Executive Director with a large youth charity, and I’m able to make sure that I can balance what I’m doing with my client work and the other commitments that I have, which is fantastic.

Highlights?
One of the things that I enjoy is the fact that we do take time to meet together as a group on a regular basis. Whether it be the monthly sessions we do with consultants and partners, or some of the away events we organise. And it is really important, because we are off doing lots of projects in different places, so the opportunity to come back together and really just catch up with everybody is always fantastic, so that’s great that it’s something the firm really places emphasis on.

Any advice?
I think it’s a fantastic place to work, and really the best way to find out about it is to get in touch and come and see what we are doing and see where we work and really bring it to life.