Women in Consulting gave me the opportunity to explore Strategy& consulting

Kayra started her career at Strategy& in September 2020 following the Women in Consulting insight programme. Here she tells her story on how the programme helped her realise how a career in consulting was for her, and what she’s achieved in her first year at PwC.

“The insight day was designed to learn more about what life at Strategy& would look like and the interview process. It was clear from the start that we weren’t being assessed on the day which helped relax everyone and provided a friendly and supportive environment. There was a panel discussion with women from Strategy&, a “day in the life of an Associate” presentation, a CV and cover letter top tips session, and a really useful structured and unstructured case study with a Manager.

The case study session was particularly beneficial as when I was preparing for my Assessment Day I had a better understanding of what my interviewer would be looking for, and how I should go about tackling a question.”

Kayra moved from Cyprus to London for university and after graduating from Imperial College with a degree in Biological Sciences, she decided to remain in the city and start her career in Strategy&. Despite joining in the middle of a global pandemic, Kayra’s still been part of a number of global client projects and she’s been amazed at how the lack of travel hasn’t hindered her learning or ability to support on international assignments.

Her first year has seen her mainly work on projects in the healthcare sector where a typical day starts with a team call to discuss the current state of the project and actions for the day. Kayra will then start on her desktop research which makes up part of the client deliverable. She’ll then get a chance to present her work back to clients in weekly client calls. It’s a part of her role which she credits with building her confidence as she’s not only able to show she’s capable of explaining her work but also the confidence to answer questions that arise. She’ll also conduct subject matter expert interviews with her clients when there’s the need for even further detailed analysis.

“One of the projects I was part of for a Middle Eastern client was particularly rewarding. Working as part of a global team, we were looking at helping to change the perception, transparency and quality of care being delivered. Normally we would have flown out for most of this project, but this was not the case due to Covid-19. It didn’t stop the team from bonding and showed me how well Strategy& and PwC are equipped to work virtually - in fact it was not so uncommon even before the pandemic due to the number of global projects that we undertake!”

The same project also gave Kayra the opportunity to lead a workshop with 35 key stakeholders at short notice. After helping put together the content for the workshop, she found herself facilitating the session due to her colleague being called for an emergency meeting. Thankfully Kayra was familiar with the session and was able to run the session successfully. “It was very interesting as it was my first time running an online workshop and truly showed how agile this job requires us to be!”

Outside of work, Kayra is quite active and enjoys being outdoors. Sadly the weather isn’t as warm as it is in her home country of Cyprus so she admits that although she likes to go running, she prefers to wait for the sunnier days before she heads out! Whilst she was at university she joined a competitive cheerleading sports team; an aspect of university life which she credits with placing emphasis on teamwork, trust and responsibility. All aspects which she believes are important now she’s started her career.

Like many students who move countries for studies, friends often become family, and for Kayra, she met one of her closest friends on the Females of the Future insight programme. The great news is that both her and Natalia were offered the chance to join Strategy& full time, and after discovering they both attended the same university and had similar interests, a true friendship was formed. They even travelled up to Edinburgh for a weekend sightseeing this Spring!

We asked Kayra what skills she believes successful applicants need if they’re looking to join Strategy&; “As consultants, we need to be able to think on our feet and be compelling speakers while always keeping the bigger picture in mind with our clients. I think the strongest applicants are those who demonstrate these abilities alongside their strong analytical thinking. Lastly, as collaborative working is such a key aspect of our jobs, applicants who can show that they are good team players that bring out the best in those they work with will clearly fit in very well at Strategy&.

For anyone looking for work experience, or who may be about to start their graduate career, I’d encourage you to keep an open mind about the clients you could work with. You’ll never know what project you’ll be on next and the likelihood is that you’ll learn something new even if it’s a sector you’re not normally interested in or haven’t thought about before. I’ve also really enjoyed working with different people on all my projects and seeing the different working styles people have - you can learn a lot from others.”

Even though Kayra has been one of the more junior members of her projects she’s never felt that her opinion is overlooked. Her teams always encourage open discussions, and even if they may initially disagree, her points have been acknowledged and listened to. “I really appreciate when team members try to get to know me as I really enjoy the “human” aspect of consulting and being able to bring myself to work.”

Women in Consulting gave me the opportunity to explore Strategy& consulting

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