What's your job about?
EY Port Jackson Partners helps decision-makers within corporate, government and private equity firms solve their most complex challenges. We are a boutique strategy consulting firm, operating within the large global firm that is EY. As a Business Analyst, I work within project teams to deliver analysis, research and insights that enable us to drive towards solving specific problems for our clients. I recently completed a project for an international private equity firm looking to enter the Australian property financing market, which involved our team advising the client on whether they should enter the market, and if so, how they should do it. We used a combination of proprietary and public data, desktop research and expert interviews to form a view of overall market attractiveness and realistic pathways through which our client could enter the market. I joined EYPJP at the beginning of 2021 since then I have been lucky to work on over 10 projects across a range of industries, serving clients in each of our three core practice areas, i.e. corporate, government and private equity.
What's your background?
I grew up and went to school in Gippsland, in country Victoria. After finishing VCE, I moved to Melbourne to study Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics and Finance at Queens College, University of Melbourne. While at university, I spent a semester abroad in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia (UBC), which was undoubtedly the highlight of my university experience (if you’re considering an exchange, I’d 100% encourage you to do so). I completed a range of internships during university breaks, one of which resulted in my graduate offer from EYPJP – which is where I find myself today.
My activities during my school years ranked sport, family/friends, and education–the three of which consumed nearly all my time. Upon some reflection, it’s interesting that these three activities continued to consume most of my time finishing Uni and during my early working days, though the relative ranking has changed over time. I believe the takeaway from this is to try and find things that one enjoys doing and make time for them, as this will lead to greater quality of life. I have been lucky to find balance in each stage of my life, supported by a great network of family/friends, work colleagues and sporting teammates, which has made every phase of my journey extremely enjoyable.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! At EYPJP, we hire with any degree and it doesn’t have to be business related. The only prerequisite is that you have the curiosity and an insatiable appetite to learn (and a strong academic track record). Our teams at EYPJP are very diverse, with the logic being that you will be able to arrive at a better answer if team members bring different ideas to problem-solving. In my short time here, I’ve worked with people with backgrounds in engineering, commerce, medicine, psychology, biology and IT.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The thing that I enjoy most about my job is the fact that I get to work closely with senior partners/leaders on interesting and complex problems alongside great colleagues as part of project teams, many of whom I now call friends. In terms of some of the daily tasks I enjoy doing, are market modelling and interviewing industry experts. I find these two activities often go a long way to proving the hypothesis we have about a particular market or a problem, and ultimately forming a view that would be valuable to our client.
What are the limitations of your job?
It’s no secret, like most other professions, strategy consulting can be challenging too in terms of the hours we work, meaning work can sometimes get in the way of personal commitments in the evenings. Also, the nature of our projects means it’s often easy to feel overwhelmed when starting on a new project. That being said, EYPJP is extremely supportive of a balanced life and is cognisant of the various development curves employees are on. For example, I’m still able to train with my soccer team twice a week–which is something EYPJP has been supportive of since I started.
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