Chris Chappell, Graduate consultant
I graduated from Oxford University in 2004. After a few months tutoring A-level and GCSE students, I rewarded myself with a trip to Asia.
Somewhere between my visit to Ankor and an epic kayak trip up the Tonay Sap, I began to realise that when I returned to London, I wanted to get a ringside seat on the corporate world.
For some, it’s easy to dismiss all consultancies as being the same, but if you do your research, it’s obvious that they’re not.
Before applying to Lighthouse, I spent weeks investigating different firms. I spoke to a number of friends who had applied to the largest strategy houses but got the impression that it would be years before they got the exposure I knew I wanted.
Lighthouse suits me because I get a variety of experiences that I wouldn’t get elsewhere. In my first six months, I worked on projects with some of the best known-names in the City: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Norwich Union and RBS.
As a graduate-level consultant here, my duties and daily activities are always varied.
Most days, I’ll be engaged with several projects at various stages of their development. I’ll spend some time doing preliminary desk research on a sector or company. I will often also be involved in the design, management and interpretation of any primary research that the project might require.
Recently, I’ve been road-testing a new analysis model that we are developing to help us predict market conditions in different industries.
Working on live projects will often involve thorough analysis of the client and their competitors using a variety of information sources.
Having written up the initial analysis, the next step is normally a discussion and brainstorming session with more senior consultants also working on that project.
Hopefully my analysis has gone some way to helping the team crystallise their ideas about the project. Eventually, I will take part in the discussions leading to actual recommendations for the client.
One of the great things about working at Lighthouse is the level of client exposure early on in my career. If I’ve researched a point for a meeting, I’m often given the chance to present it to the meeting. This really helps to build my confidence in the business environment.
I work hard but I genuinely enjoy the challenges that are thrown at me and there’s always plenty of support from senior colleagues when I need to talk things through.