Perry, Senior Consultant

What educational/academic background do you have?
Whilst I took several quantitative subjects at high school, I studied history and economic history at university – not your typical degree for consulting!

Why did you decide to go into consulting?
After graduation, I entered the UK Government's graduate scheme as a civil servant, where I was moved through several departments and roles with a range of different remits. During my four years in government, I was a geopolitical analyst, policy advisor and communications strategist, amongst several other things.
After deciding that I needed a new challenge in the private sector, consulting became the obvious choice because of the exposure it offers across industries, the opportunity to tackle large and complex problems and the diverse skill set it equips you with.

What is or has been the biggest challenge for you in consulting?
Trying to understand the wild world of business and consultancy terminology.

How can you use your skills at Roland Berger?
The diversity of projects, and responsibilities within each project, means there is always room for a mix of traditional and non-traditional skill sets.

What did you learn that you will never need here?
Unsurprisingly I've yet to make use of my knowledge of early-modern trans-Atlantic trade history!

Which of your skills from your background makes your consulting life easier?
I have been surprised by how many of the core government skills map over to consultancy. In particular, both roles require you to analyze large amounts of disparate information and then clearly present your advice to the government minister/client.

What did you want to be as a child and what would you love to be today if you weren't a consultant?
I'm finally starting to accept that I'll never realize my dream of playing professional golf on the PGA tour.

How does your team benefit from your skills?
I hope my sector knowledge and experience of approaching problems in ways not typical to consulting can bring diversity of thought that can benefit the teams I work in.

What has been your favorite moment/project since you joined Roland Berger as a consultant?
Successfully designing and launching an industry-wide sustainability council for a multinational manufacturer to work with its suppliers to tackle the sector's most pressing ESG challenges.