I joined through the Cyber Security Core Advisory Graduate programme and now I’m a Senior Associate in the Cyber Security Business Unit, specialising in the financial services team. We work with clients to secure their digital environment following the People, Process and Technology framework. In reality this can result in projects where we assess the client’s current state and provide them with recommendations, or a team of us working at an operational level delivering a daily service to the client. On my current project I work closely with my client, often at their office, attending meetings and managing a specific Cyber Security compliance project.
The varied nature of my role is by far the best part or working at PwC, closely followed by working with incredible people every day. I currently split my time between two projects that require very different skills sets and give me the opportunity to work with two specialist PwC teams. I like being busy and challenged, so being able to work on a few completely different projects at one time keeps me engaged and motivated.
I had the opportunity to work with the Crisis Management team on a series of Cyber Security Incident Simulation Exercises for a global bank. It was such an exciting project as it brought to life all the components that need to be considered when a client is compromised. I got real hands-on experience with the client and put together many of the materials used in the simulation, not to mention simulating the Head of HR in the actual exercise. This also gave me the opportunity to put the knowledge I’d learnt on other projects to the test.
As I gained more responsibility within the team, having to manage the expectations of my clients and push back on out of scope requests was one of the main challenges I’ve faced to date. Luckily, Cyber Security is a great team and you’re never left to tackle issues alone; someone is always just a message away to ask for help. I reached out to my Engagement Leads to confirm my assessment of the project’s scope was correct and in the process learnt to better understand the contracts we put in place with our clients.
When I joined PwC I was concerned I would not be technical enough to deliver my role as my degree background couldn’t be further from what you would expect someone in technology to have. I studied history and politics at university and then entered the marketing industry – my first job was with a construction firm. However from the first day of the induction, PwC assuaged these concerns. As well as some foundation level training, the Cyber Security team has a strong focus on learning from your colleagues - our senior leadership take interest in the junior members’ development. I have certainly learnt huge amounts from my colleagues who challenge me and provide opportunities to learn from them, and problem solve independently, whilst always being able to call on them for guidance.
One of my proudest moments to date at PwC was identifying the need to create a specific role within the Cyber Security Business Unit to support the London graduates: the Graduate Point Person. Gathering the evidence and building my case, the senior leaders supported my idea and enabled me to put them into action. Six months later and the role has been a success, officially made part of our Cyber Security Pastoral Team within the business unit, and we’re now looking to roll it out across the rest of the UK’s regional Cyber Security teams.
For me, PwC was a good fit from the start. I attended a recruitment event at the Manchester office and felt valued as soon as I walked through the door – it’s definitely worth attending events like these. I really like the balance PwC places on needing to be innovative with technology, alongside improving our clients’ businesses. I am not technical and this approach means I can still bring value to the team using my experiences and skills.
The team I work in is a close-knit one. We work hard together but always make time to celebrate successes and relax after work. We have a few official socials a year with the whole team which are always great fun and an awesome chance to meet colleagues from other offices. Since joining, we’ve done a murder mystery, escape room and bowling with some “alternative” rules (bowling backwards is much harder than I anticipated!). Besides this we often celebrate each other’s birthdays with dinner and get a weekly team coffee to catch up.
Challenging. Rewarding. Varied.
