Quick-fire Q&A with Chloe, Operations Transformation

Could you tell us a bit about yourself, and your time at Deloitte so far? How did you end up in your current role?

After studying International Commerce with Hispanic Studies in UCC, I joined Deloitte in 2018 as part of the graduate programme.  I now work as part of the Operations Transformation team with a particular focus on the consumer industry.

My time in Deloitte so far has been extremely positive. One of the aspects that sets Deloitte apart is its people. Not only do I get to work as part of a highly skilled team, but senior leaders take a real interest in my professional development and support me in achieving my goals. Operations Transformation is very much a collaborative team with people of all levels encouraged to voice their opinions and provide input.

I ended up in my current role by having regular conversations with my coach and other senior leaders about my interests and career aspirations. I have always had a keen interest in the consumer industry and by voicing this the team supported me in making it happen.

What’s unique about the role or team you’re in?

The most unique thing about the consumer team is the variety of projects and clients we get to work on. Our clients range from the food and beverage sector, retail, energy and technology and our projects can be anything from strategy design and implementation, operating models, process improvement and solution implementation to name but a few.

Is there a part of your role you particularly enjoy, or parts of your role you’ve found unexpectedly challenging?

I think what makes my role enjoyable is what also makes it challenging. Consulting, particularly in the private sector, is very fast paced and no two projects or even days are the same. It can be liking starting a whole new job every time you start a new project, but that variety is what makes everything so interesting. It can be challenging, but for me the best way to learn is by challenging yourself, and the satisfaction when everything comes together at the end is great! 

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

We are currently working with a global agri-food company on a refresh of their corporate strategy and growth plan. This is an interesting sector and strategy is something I really enjoy. As part of this project, we analysed changing consumer trends in target markets and looked at sustainability in the food and beverage sector. We used expertise from our Future of Food practice, considering the rapid transformation of the food ecosystem. Our goal is to help future-proof our clients to sustainably deliver growth, and the nutritional demands of consumers, within planetary boundaries.

What are the main skills you’ve been able to develop in this role so far, and what do you want to focus on next?

As a consultant there are core skills you develop such as critical thinking, stakeholder management, effective communication, and risk analysis. In my role as part of the consumer team I have been able to build on these core competencies and develop skills such as workshop facilitation, strategy design and implementation, developing insights and , developing insights and working toward building my subject matter expertise.

My focus as I continue with my career is to develop a specialised skillset in sustainability consulting, specifically ESG strategy. Sustainability is a critical topic for all companies especially in the consumer space so I feel these skills would compliment my current work, and create real impact for our clients.

What would we typically find you doing outside of work?

Outside of work you would likely find me in the swimming pool or the gym during the week and catching up with friends over a coffee at the weekend.