My name is Rachel Helman and I am a Senior Consultant at Capco. I joined the company at the beginning of 2019 and, honestly, it keeps getting better. I joined Capco from another consultancy because I wanted the opportunity to work on long-term engagements and get to know my clients. I suppose I was looking for the chance to become a “trusted advisor” and to stay with a client for enough time to embed change and see the benefits of my work come to fruition.
With a background in risk and insurance, my first project was a natural fit – a 10-month transformation project at a global insurer. This gave me my first insight into how financial services organisations plan, resource and run a major, multi-year change programme. During this time, our Capco team was just a part of a multi-consultancy engagement, and what struck me most was how strongly the Capco culture – by which I mean an environment of trust, inclusivity and working smart – held true.
Next, I ventured into banking for a two-year engagement on a global regulatory programme. I found myself with a new client, a new challenge, and a new industry, but was struck by the same sense of Capco spirit. We differentiate ourselves on our ability to be nimble where larger firms cannot, and to bring the clout and expertise that smaller firms lack. Mostly, though, we pride ourselves on building deep relationships with clients where they know we are on their side. Working closely with clients for two years, I got to celebrate their wins, head-scratch over their challenges and drive through ideas we had developed together. Professionally, this partnership gave me the chance to understand their business better than I had ever expected and to feed into strategic conversations which most third parties are kept away from. Personally, it helped me build a fantastic network which I’m sure I’ll turn to for advice in years to come.
As wonderful as this opportunity was, all good things must come to an end, and I couldn’t resist the pull back to insurance. I have been lucky enough to spend this year running a project for a health insurer and have put into practice everything I have learned at Capco so far. I want to set the same tone to my team that my seniors at Capco demonstrate to me – we understand our client’s business, we challenge the status quo, we bring out-of-the-box ideas, and we respect the trust that is placed in us. I couldn’t be prouder of the way my team has worked alongside members of the business, data, analytics and customer relationship teams to help them make huge leaps in their digital insights and customer experience.
I consider myself lucky to have worked for such interesting clients in such a meaningful way and look forward to whatever comes next. However, it is not the client engagements alone that keep me at Capco. As with everything in life, the more you put in, the more you get out. At Capco, that is truer than ever and there is something for everyone to do outside of core project work to contribute to the business.
I love delivering training and volunteering my time to support recruitment for our ATP and ADP programmes – interviewing so many impressive young people is such a privilege. For others, it might be planning the Capco summer party, running the Capco Climbing Society or writing thought leadership on disruptive new technologies. Whatever your personality or interest, there is a community for you at Capco. It’s the real sense of belonging which keeps me motivated even on the bad days and makes me feel Capco is the place for me.