Since graduating from UCL School of Management’s MSci Management Science programme, Edward has joined Accenture as part of their graduate programme. Eventually finding his way into the innovation team, Edward now leads Accenture’s FinTech innovation lab where he liaises with financial and non-financial partners to design new Fintech programmes.

In this blog, Edward sheds light on his time at UCL School of Management and gives some great advice on how current students or recent graduates can break into leading or multinational companies and industries. He also elaborates on the skills he has gained since joining Accenture and the ways in which he uses them to contribute to new projects and programmes on a freelance basis.

tell us about yourself

I am from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, but currently in my 10th year of living in London and still absolutely loving it. I studied the MSCI Management Science Programme at UCL School of Management with a specialism in Innovation Strategy in my 4th year. I am very interested in the intersection of technology, society and culture and am always looking for projects that work at the newest edge of change in human behaviour.

How did your career come about?

From doing endless paper rounds to afford the newest PS3 model, to gaining work experiences at IBM and numerous start-ups, I have always been interested in new things. Such experiences made me realise that I wanted to work for a large organisation, but in an innovative and creative team that had that start-up feel. I thought Accenture was the best place to do so and as soon as I joined the graduate programme, I networked my way into the innovation team. Since then, I have been working across a variety of projects as an innovation consultant with a focus on financial services and consumer behaviour around money. This led to me to my current role where I am Lead of Accenture’s FinTech Innovation Lab.

what does a typical week look like for you in this role?

In an age old saying – there is no typical week in consulting, genuinely. Though sometimes there are a lot of events, workshop facilitation and client engagements. Other times I work from my bedroom, on our strategy for the next few weeks. Sometimes a mix of the two! Variety is the spice of life.

have you always been interested in consulting?

I have always been interested in consulting as it provides the opportunity to try lots of new things, gain exposure to important client problems and learn from some of the sharpest minds in the business. Also, who doesn’t love getting paid to give their opinion?

Tell us about your time at UCL School of Management

I absolutely loved it – 10/10 would recommend to anyone. The programme was so well varied and on point for preparing me for a career in consulting, innovation and advanced technology. The sheer amount of group engagements and activities, particularly the Scenario Weeks, truly helped me to gain confidence in delivering presentations and working in project teams. The faculty were of course fantastic people, who really offered as much support as they could!  Shouts to Manzur, Andrew and Stephen – big names who I hope are still about. The curriculum too has to be one of the best there is. It is cutting edge and prepares you for so many things in so many areas. Kudos to the design of that, I only wish I paid more attention in programming.

did you utilise the careers team while studying with us at uclsom?

I probably felt like I was annoying them all the time. This was one of the best resources the UCL School of Management has to offer in my opinion. Whenever I was feeling lost, stressed or worried about anything to do with jobs post university, I would pop my head in and chat with the careers team. I always came away feeling reassured and confident that I could get somewhere cool.

what advice would you give to students that are trying to break into these big companies and industries?

Don’t try and be the person you think they want you to be, be the person you want to be. It is so tempting to try and fit a perceived mould of a large organisation, but this will only stress you out and you will lose yourself in the process. The application process is as much for the company to fit what you want as it is for you to fit what the company wants. A lot of the way’s companies describe themselves are similar, so the only real difference is you. Keep positive, apply loads and be yourself. I truly then believe you will find yourself at the place that is right for you.

Have you got any exciting projects in the pipeline?

As I am currently leading Accenture’s FinTech Innovation Lab, this is my full-time role at the moment. We have just opened applications for 2025’s intake, and are currently in planning and preparation stage for next year’s programme. This involves talking to all of our financial and non-financial partners and understanding their focus areas in innovative financial technology. This is to help ensure we design the best new programme for FinTech’s that are kicking off in early 2025. In fact, we have just won an award for the Best Accelerator in the UK, and we want to leverage this success to be even better next year.

Outside of work, I am contributing to a new degree programme at Northeastern University as well as trying to cook something up for starting my own little business.

Find out more about UCL School of Management’s BSc/MSci Management Science programme.