Adam, Principal
CV
- DPhil from University of Oxford
- Background in chemistry and automotive fuels technology
- Joined Roland Berger London in 2016 as a Consultant
- Interests and hobbies: Football, golf, all ball sports, cooking, craft beer, Japan
"I have been incredibly fortunate to spend as much time as I did with my family in those precious early moments of childhood."
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
Two daughters! Francesca (Franny) is two-and-a-half years old, but always tells me that she is a "grown-up"… And Elizabeth (Lizzy) is just a few weeks old and keeping us on our toes!
How do you (and your family) organize childcare?
Shift patterns! We try to be as 'present' as possible both when working and spending time with each other as a family. It is much easier to do this when you can dedicate a clear stretch of time to work and then have clear separation from family time, rather than constantly trying to respond to Teams messages when you are supposed to be having dinner with your family (and it is a bad example to the kids if you are staring at a screen the whole time!). So typically my wife does the morning shift (taking my daughter to school so I start work early) and I do the evening.
How has working remotely affected you as a working parent?
Overall, I have been incredibly fortunate to spend as much time as I did with my family in those precious early moments of childhood. Of course, I have found it challenging to draw the line between 'life at home' and 'work at home', but I think I have reached a good place on that front after 2 years of trying, and I still feel very lucky to have spent so much time with my young daughter and to have the ability to work flexibly to help balance my family and work commitments.
Do you have any advice for successfully combining parenthood and working at Roland Berger?
Protect the things that matter most to you. Don’t accept meetings in the time that you scheduled to spend time with your family – if you do it once, you'll do it again and again. Don't walk away from playtime with your kids because you are getting a call from the client – it can wait, and if it's so important, it'll still be important in 30 minutes' time when you call them back on your own terms. Ruthlessly prioritise your work (and family) commitments and give 100% of your attention to enjoying whatever you are doing. Your colleagues, clients and family will appreciate you much more for it.
How do your teammates support you in combining work and family?
My teammates understand that during some parts of the day, I am not contactable because I am spending time with my wife and daughters. For example, I go to collect Franny from school at 5:30 pm every day and my colleagues respect it. I hope I am showing them that it is OK – even beneficial – to take a couple of hours out of a busy day to do something other than work. I find that it refreshes the mind and drives me (and the team) to better prioritise, which I think is something that we can all get better at.
What has been your most precious parent-child moment recently?
After returning from a busy morning at the playground, Franny told me she was tired and wanted to rest. She put a blanket on the kitchen floor and told me to lie down next to her, and before I knew it she was patting me on the head and telling me to go to sleep. The whole thing turned out to be a ruse as when I woke up 15 minutes later I discovered that she had gone into the living room, had managed to turn on the TV, and was happily watching Peppa Pig without any adults telling her to stop!
