Consultant (Sustainability)

Name: Yvonne Isaac-Kesseli
Age: 49
Degree: M.A. UZH
Profession: Partner in a management consultancy
Employer: Consulta AG

Describe your job in one sentence.

I help companies solve a wide range of problems.

What are the three main tasks of your job?

• Carrying out analyses
• Strategy development (especially sustainability strategies)
• Consulting in the NPO sector

What do you think is the best / most exciting part of your job?

Clearly: versatility, variety and a wealth of topics.

What is the biggest challenge in your job?

As consultants, we operate in our clients' working environment. Arrogant and overbearing behaviour is therefore a no-go. The culture and sensitivities of each company must be respected. Tact and diplomacy are the most important companions.

What do you need to enter or succeed in this profession?

• Entrepreneurial mindset
• Curiosity
• A good dose of courage
• Ability to quickly see the bigger picture
• Diplomacy & tact

What are the opportunities for advancement/development?

Diverse. If you don't shy away from work, you can be very successful in consulting and climb the career ladder. However, as an experienced management consultant, you can also work outside the consulting industry and often find yourself in top positions. The solid network you develop as a management consultant will certainly help.

What do you wish you had known about this profession as a graduate?

How quickly you have to familiarise yourself with new problems and situations. That as an external consultant you sometimes feel a bit like a ‘foreign body’ in a company. But thanks to good solutions, empathy and a pleasant demeanour, you quickly learn to gain the trust of the employees in the company where you are currently working on a project.

What advice do you have for students interested in this role?

In the beginning, you have to work hard, adapt, meet the client's needs as best you can, deliver solutions quickly, but still put them through their paces. In return, you make lifelong friendships on consulting projects. Once you have proven that you are trustworthy, hard working and quick to deliver, it does no harm to play to your individual strengths and stand up for them. For example, your consulting and strategy skills will help you to launch a start-up or get involved in philanthropy. You will realise how incredibly valuable you have learned during your years as a consultant.

Looking back on your career, is there anything you would do differently? And why?

I don't think so. You can take so many different paths. The important thing is to make the best of the path you choose. That includes admitting your mistakes and continuing to develop.

Is there anything else you would like to pass on to current students? 

Hold on to your dreams and visions. You know best where your strengths lie.

As of November 2024