Chris
London
Chris holds a degree in Economics from Nottingham and manages projects in the Financial Services track.
I joined Oliver Wyman for three reasons. Firstly, the projects were interesting – developing new ideas for top quality clients across all areas of finan¬cial services. Secondly, I wanted to work with the people I had met during the recruitment process – they were funny, sharp and created a really friendly atmosphere. OW staff are accessible to everyone at all levels, allowing exchange of ideas and interaction. Third, Oliver Wyman is a company where you can make a real impact on how things are run right from day one, both at the companies we work for with our project work and client relationships, but also at Oliver Wyman.
The Oliver Wyman way is to encourage everyone to get involved in the company. In my time here I have helped to organise many social events, including a couple of Christmas parties, regular ‘happy hours’, our first ever golf day, and year group get-togethers. I had a background in organising large-scale events at University, and it’s great to keep up this extra dimension – especially as the budget is there and you don’t need to sell tickets.
On client work, since I joined I have been lucky to have spent my time working in many different countries on a wide variety of interesting projects. I began in London working for a major insurer for around nine months to as¬sess its underlying profitability. After that, I was in the Norwegian fjords for two months working for a commercial lender, and then spent nearly a year in Amsterdam helping a corporate bank turn itself around following some large losses in 2002. Since then I’ve worked in sales force effec¬tiveness, helping banks in Brussels and Bangkok, Thailand, organize themselves to serve customers and maximize sales and also led a strategic assessment of a target company for a Private Equity house. It was particularly satisfying since the deal recommended by OW went through and the target was bought. Throughout my time here, I have had great projects and have continued expanding my knowledge of the finance industry.
Projects can be fun, but also hard work and sometimes with long hours so it’s really important to make time for other things. If I’m away on a project during the week I make sure to get to the gym or pool most nights and to go out with friends as often as possible. Weekends are always sacrosanct and you’ll find me playing or watching sport, at the theatre or socialising with friends. Oliver Wyman gives you the best of both worlds – fun people to work with, but also the time to spend with your own friends outside of work.
