What was your background before joining Altus Consulting?
Prior to joining Altus, I spent 7 years working at Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK’s largest D2C investment platform. Starting out as a ‘stockbroking administrator’ I moved around the Trade Corrections, Dividends and Corporate Actions teams, before taking up the role of Operations Analyst, supporting the departments first line risk and control functions and audit compliance. The firsthand experience of investment platform operations I gained during my time at HL was invaluable and allows me to genuinely empathise with, and in turn solve, the problems I see at the clients I work with today.
What attracted you to Altus Consulting?
I first became aware of Altus a couple of years prior to joining. A former colleague with links to the company arranged a ‘meet the consultants’ event as part of a recruitment drive and I was fortunate enough to speak with several of the team. It was an eye-opening evening and I left with a great sense of excitement about what a career in consulting could look like; variety of work, travel, and the opportunity to make a real difference for clients. At the time, it was agreed that whilst my operations background would be a great asset, I would benefit from gaining more exposure to business change; something I duly sought out. Fast forward to the summer of 2019 and I was encouraged to apply for the newly formed Academy pathway at Altus. Whilst changing job during a global pandemic might have seemed like a crazy idea to most people, for me it was a no brainer.
Tell us a bit about your team.
Owing to my background in Investment Platforms I sit within the Investments Domain but work with colleagues from all areas of consulting. That’s the great thing about Altus, we’re one big team. The working environment here is one of collaboration and support. There’s no one that I couldn’t go to with a question, be it to gain insight into a certain individuals specialism or just general advice on the best way to approach a problem. Joining a business full of such knowledgeable people was a slightly daunting prospect, but from the moment I joined I was made to feel welcome, respected and part of the Altus family.
What do you do in your role?
On a day-to-day basis I’ll typically be working on one or two client engagements as part of the core team, perhaps heading up a particular aspect of the work. I may be running a series of capability maturity workshops, building a cost model of a business, or conducting research into outsource administration providers to support a change in operating model. Outside of client engagements I’ll likely be working on some thought leadership, such as a blog post or whitepaper, or talking to prospective clients to support business development.
What do you enjoy about working here?
There’s a whole raft of points I could list here, but the variety of work is definitely a big part of why I enjoy working at Altus. No two engagements are the same and you get to work for lots of different clients solving lots of different problems. As someone who has spent much of their career to date at one business, the opportunity to spread my wings and experience the wider industry was a big selling point. And then there are my colleagues. A varied bunch again but all of whom make working at Altus a pleasure.
How has your role changed since being here?
I joined Altus as an Academy Consultant, a new concept at the time which was aimed at those with slightly fewer years of industry experience than typical, looking to transition into a career in consultancy. This pathway provided a fantastic opportunity to learn about all aspects of consulting whilst getting real word experience and adding value on live client engagements. Having ‘graduated’ from the academy I became a fully fledged consultant and have since continued to finetune my consulting skill set, take on increased responsibility for the delivery of engagements and support more senior colleagues in the shaping of client proposals and associated business development activity.
What has made you stay?
The continual opportunity to learn, develop and progress my career. Even during my academy year, I was given responsibility far beyond what I could have expected, all whilst knowing I had the support of the team around me. Everyone at Altus wants each other to succeed and grow and that means you’re always encouraged to push on.
