Berkeley's proposition was the opportunity to take on challenging client roles in an environment designed to enable success.
Prior to joining Berkeley, I had become very specialized in the implementation of a particular technology solution and, as a consequence, something that was important to me was the opportunity to bring my skills and experience to a much wider range of client problems.
I was also very attracted to the fact that Berkeley is truly a values-driven organization, prioritizing its people and doing the right thing for the client above everything else. This came through right from the start of the process and is now abundantly clear that it has filtered into every aspect of the business.
The types of projects I have historically enjoyed the most have had three things in common. Firstly, they have typically been technology or data-driven transformations, leveraging new platforms to bring about a step-change in the way that the organization operates today. Secondly, they have a strong sense of purpose, with clear alignment between the goals of the project and the vision for the wider organization. And finally, they involve tackling an especially tough problem.
In an ideal world, I would be able to be involved across the full lifecycle of a program, from defining the strategy through to execution and finally setting up the client for long term success.
What attracted me to consulting was the opportunity to work alongside great people on interesting problems in an environment where development is integral to success. After a Physics degree, and having ruled out joining the world of academia, I wanted to explore different roles across a range of industries and working as a consultant seemed like a great way to achieve this. It was also a career where I could apply the structured thinking and problem-solving skills developed through my degree to real-world business scenarios.