A pivotal move

Nils Wickman, Analyst, UK

My instilled passion for global connections first unearthed as I was studying in London on a high school exchange program at the age of 16. Having grown up in the Swedish archipelago, I became exposed to a multi-cultural society for the first time and had to adapt to new settings which pre-disposed me to be curious and fascinated by new international environments. Going into university, that same curiosity culminated into an interest in the multi-disciplinary, and what was meant to be a degree focused on business and finance quickly became an interesting medley of diverse topics across the arts and sciences.

Following my graduation, I wanted to maintain that same variety in an international context, and it quickly became clear to me that consulting was the best fit. Consequently, I spent the following two years at a procurement consultancy in the heart of London. However, despite advising clients across industries and countries, I found myself continually drawn outwards, where my managerial pursuits began to reflect my latent passion for strategy. Whilst procurement consulting allowed for variety across industries and countries, strategy consulting offered an additional piece of variety for problem solving.

I marked my shift from procurement to strategy this Summer as I decided to move to Eden McCallum as an analyst. Since joining, it didn’t take long until I realised I had finally found the career for me. The intellectual vigour that exists across sectors and functions within both the internal and external team is incredibly exciting. This in combination with a diligently planned analyst programme built on an impressively supportive culture is the ideal working environment for any curious young professional who wants to learn.

The mere business model of Eden McCallum also allows for a unique experience as an analyst. What may sometimes be difficult at other firms, such as getting exposure and building relationships with senior executives, is more relaxed and consistently encouraged. Similarly, there’s a strong emphasis on making you feel at home at the company, and within just a few weeks you’ll easily form strong friendships with your colleagues – even in a Covid-19 environment! Having bonded with my colleagues during the initial 3-week induction program and formed a new set of skills to my consulting toolkit, I was immediately put on a project. After just my first week of project work, I have been given the opportunity to put my newly acquired skills to test and work with industry experts across a plethora of issues we’re looking to solve. This was exactly the type of variety I was looking for and meant I am now able to embark on a variety of experiences.