A day in the life of a Humatican: Viktoria

What is your position and what do you do on a day-to-day basis?

I am a consultant at Humatica. There is no such thing as a typical day here. Now that we are working remotely, I usually start with a team alignment call to set the priorities for the day. After that, we usually participate in different client calls or prepare for major workshops to discuss or present important project deliverables. I am also actively mentoring some of our junior team members. On Fridays, I finish my day with a virtual happy hour to reflect on the week’s accomplishments and catch up with the team. Once we return back to normal, I’m looking forward to reviving the tradition of regular team dinners in London’s coolest restaurants.

What is the best and worst part of the day for you?

The worst part is having to catch a 7am flight to wherever the client is – clearly, I’m not a morning person! The best part is the adrenaline kick while presenting an impactful deliverable to the client, jointly agreeing on recommendations and seeing first-hand how impactful our work is. And, of course, getting to celebrate with the team after a successful project!

How long have you been in this role and what do you most enjoy?

I joined Humatica three years ago, after completing my master’s degree at London Business School. My highlight has been traveling internationally to client sites across the world, where I had the opportunity to interact directly with senior executives, present my analysis and make a direct impact. The end of project dinner with the team is definitely a bonus!

What are the key qualities necessary to be successful in your role?

Curiosity, Communication, Resilience

What made you decide on a consulting career?                  

The opportunity to make an impact from day one, while being exposed to different industries, business models and people. Projects are very diverse, so you never get bored here!

Why Humatica?

Our unique culture and the focus on a very exciting and growing field of consulting, working with PE funds and portfolio companies on building organizations that can deliver value growth. You will have direct exposure to senior clients from the first month, present impactful analysis and discuss what steps they can take to improve. Most importantly, you understand the bigger picture and the impact of your daily work due to a non-hierarchical, entrepreneurial culture and a great team spirit.

What led you to focus on the organisational aspects of consulting?

To succeed in a transformation, every organization needs to start with the people. My role allows me to make a direct impact on organizations by identifying the bottlenecks that can hinder growth. By doing so, I can make sure our clients are set-up to embrace their ambitious growth plans or can implement a successful restructuring.

What have been your favourite/most important projects?

The alignment and activation of a US-based industrial manufacturer. Working on this project allowed me to dig deep into their organisational set-up, understand bottlenecks for growth and define a roadmap for change. As part of the work, I got to see and optimize the end-to-end new product development process and work with them to refine and implement it. Bonus? I travelled in multiple locations in Europe and the US!

How did you find working under lockdown? How did your daily routine change? What specific works and projects are you focused on? 

I miss travelling to client sites and team dinners, no doubt. But I do enjoy having the chance to do a work-out during lunch time or cook my own food! As a team, the morale remained strong as we adapted quickly, switching from happy hour to the office, to virtual pub quizzes, coffee catch-ups and virtual wine tastings. As a company, we had a record year with a lot of new projects despite the lockdown and managed to successfully deliver projects with clients we had never met in person, all virtually!

How do you think Covid-19 will impact consulting in the longer term?

I think flexible working will continue, but I think we will soon return to travel again, at least for the initial meetings and workshops with our clients.

What new hobby or habit did you pick up in lockdown?

I definitely picked up some healthier habits during the lockdown. I have started playing tennis, taking long walks around parks in central London and improved my running pace significantly. I have also started cooking more, especially my favourite Greek recipes!

What book are you currently reading?

Influence by Robert Cialdini

What’s your favourite ‘corporate’ television drama or film/movie and why? 

Movie: Wolf of Wall Street – a classic!

Learn more about a career at Humatica on our careers page.