Bryan
New York
Associate, Oliver Wyman New York
B.A. Economics and Political Science, Williams College
Currently attending Wharton where his M.B.A. is being sponsored by Oliver Wyman
On joining Oliver Wyman from a boutique firm:
I expected my transition to Oliver Wyman from the small firm where I had worked for two years to be a big cultural shock. I was wary of having to replay my Analyst role, of getting stuck in a back room, or of just being lost in the shuffle. Not to worry, I was told, I was joining a true meritocracy where I would be allowed to progress and develop as quickly as my skills allowed. Taking a job where my ability, and not my rank, dictated the type of work and assignments I was exposed to was extremely important to me. Equally important was the ability to continue learning from smart, approachable people. Over my years at the firm, I have found that while we are big in size, we ably capture the most important benefits of both large and small work environments.
On making a real client impact:
Consulting is definitely a people-oriented business; I have found that interacting with great thinkers, both on our and the client side, is one of the perks of the job. The opportunity to work closely with people in interesting industries and companies has given me an inimitable and broad perspective on the business world. Equally important, by getting to know the internal stakeholders, I can better meet their specific needs and goals. My experience at OW is that we strive very hard to identify the unique characteristics of each situation to ensure that, whatever solution we propose, will make a positive difference. Actually seeing your efforts translate into action certainly makes the hard work worth it.
On giving back:
Of the many projects that I’ve been involved with at Oliver Wyman, one of my favorites combined cutting edge analytics with the chance to make a true social impact. Working for the non-profit Malaria Vaccine Initiative, I provided direct input into the development of a vaccine to address this important disease. Our project team focused on evaluating the importance of specific vaccine attributes to help steer on-going research efforts. The work, designed to capture critical perspectives from key leaders, gave me access to the most important and respected malaria experts, along with some amazing travel opportunities in Indonesia and Brazil as we visited them in the field. Helping MVI make the right funding allocation decisions will have an unbelievable impact on millions of people, and it was great to have a hand in driving this important outcome.
On having job flexibility:
As much as I enjoy consulting, it’s human nature to experience wanderlust sooner or later. Recognizing that their consultants have wide and varied interests, OW strives to keep us happy by offering a number of flexible work opportunities. Last summer, I spent five months away from the firm working directly for the strategy group of a medical device manufacturer. During this externship, I gained valuable experience in an interesting field and met a number of great people, all while being paid a stipend on top of any other wages I earned. There aren’t many companies that not only offer, but actively encourage their consultants to: take time off to follow a passion through a non-profit fellowship, build their skills through an externship, or just relax with a one to two month leave. After my time off, I returned energized, excited, and ready to once again tackle the challenges ahead.
