Our alumni team caught up with Lily Wang, a former consultant in our New York office. Since leaving the firm, Lily’s career has led her to some of the biggest and most disruptive technology and direct-to-consumer brands, including Square and Glossier. Lily is now making an impact as chief of staff at social shopping platform Poshmark. Read below to learn more about her transitions.

What have you been up to since leaving Oliver Wyman?

After two years at the Oliver Wyman New York office, I joined Square as a general strategy operations analyst. Leveraging my consulting skills, we rapidly scaled the sales team from 30 to 200, shifting our focus to larger businesses. However, seeking a broader role, I left Square and pursued an MBA at Harvard, where I developed an interest in e-commerce and launched my own brand. During my program, I joined beauty brand Glossier, and spent a year at financial services company Robinhood. These roles helped me  to understand the nuances between tech and consumer companies as well as business operations. Later, I joined Poshmark as chief of staff.  When Poshmark was acquired by Naver in 2023, I transitioned to a general chief of staff role, overseeing the mergers and acquisitions process, due diligence, and strategic presentations, while acting as a liaison between the US and our parent company. Since that deal closed, I’ve been supporting post-merger integration and building out our international presence and go-to-market strategy.

What exit opportunities do you see for Oliver Wyman alums?

My time at Oliver Wyman and business school taught me to apply my skills across various sectors and industries. The skills you acquire at Oliver Wyman are highly transferable across industries. Companies that offer flexibility and opportunities to explore different sectors can reveal a lot of similarities in core needs, such as understanding product market fit and go-to-market strategies. The key is how a company approaches these problems and prioritizes them.

From a creative background with internships at Vogue and the Victoria and Albert Museum, what led you consulting at Oliver Wyman?

My college background was heavily focused on liberal arts, with internships at art museums and an interest in brand and creative work. What initially drew me to Oliver Wyman was a conversation at a Yale recruiting event with an alum who spoke highly of the work at Lippincott. Years later, I had the opportunity to work on a project with Lippincott. The diverse industries at Oliver Wyman also drew me. The fast-paced consulting environment helped shape my understanding of the business world. Working deeply on projects and then switching lanes taught me how to tackle problems, make an impact, and take full ownership.

What advice do you have for current consultants at Oliver Wyman?

Focus on the people you work with – they matter the most. Prioritize personal growth and seek experiences that further your growth. The work ethic and problem-solving skills you gain are transferable across industries. The skills and challenges you tackle at Oliver Wyman can be applied broadly, so invest time in building relationships and learning from your colleagues for a lasting impact.

This page was originally published on July 3, 2024.