Gerard Taylor
Consultant
Having spent four years studying at Durham University for a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering I soon made up my mind that engineering wasn’t where my future lay and so started at Accenture in January 2000 instead. I spent the best part of 8 years there, working with a number of telecommunications and aerospace/defence companies, including BT, Telewest, ntl:, Vodafone and BAE Systems and experiencing the array of locations that only management consultancy can provide. These ranged from my first client in the middle of nowhere in Belgium to a heavily armoured compound in Saudi Arabia, via many unglamorous towns in England, the ‘highlight’ of which has to be several weeks working in a portacabin at the end of a runway on Warton airfield!
My experience at Accenture allowed me to develop my project/programme management skills in both technical and non-technical roles but was primarily focused around systems delivery, covering areas from automated switch provisioning and network inventory systems to billing applications and the supply chain for the repair of fighter planes. Since joining Berkeley in December 2007 I have experienced a much greater variety of work and really enjoyed the culture of working with the client that sets Berkeley apart and that first attracted me here. My roles have ranged from looking at the eCommerce strategy for a mobile telecommunications provider to running the entire outsourcing transition for a major high street and travel retailer.
Outside work I will generally be found doing something which revolves around my various passions in life, which are sport, good food/wine and music/theatre. I am a particularly keen sportsman, both playing and watching, and despite my body falling apart a little too quickly for my liking I still manage to find time for golf, skiing and scuba diving. I also have quite a travel bug, having visited 26 countries so far and counting!