Name: Preyal Dewani
University:Reading
Degree course: BA (Hons) in Management & Business Administration
Current role: Consultant, Business Systems & Integration Consulting

Preyal first experienced Accenture during a Summer Vacation placement in 2003, then joined the Communications and High Tech industry group.

What first attracted you to Accenture?

I came to Accenture straight after I graduated. My summer placement had given me a really good insight into what it’s like here, so it was my first-choice. What particularly appealed to me is how Accenture is international, multi-disciplined and can provide me with a whole wealth of opportunities.

I find it fascinating how technology is such a fundamental part of every modern organisation. What’s more, new technologies create new opportunities for companies like Accenture, and working in that kind of environment is pretty exciting. My roles so far have been more consulting-based, so I really get to witness just how much impact the technologies we use can have on business functions.

What were your first few months with the company like?

There were nearly 70 of us in the ‘Start Group’ and it was great to meet so many new people at once. I didn’t find Accenture’s size at all scary – if anything, quite the opposite. The fact that it has some 133,000 or so employees means I’m going to meet a lot of really interesting people during my career. Then, after six months, I went to the training in Chicago. Being around graduates from across the world was phenomenal. From the amount of socialising there, I’ve definitely made lifelong friends, as well as learning a lot from the course.

What do you feel are the best aspects of working with Accenture?

One thing that’s really emphasised throughout the training is the importance of teamwork because the only way you will ever achieve anything here is as part of a team. In fact, one really striking aspect of Accenture is the fusion of people on every team. You can be working with people from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds and, in an ideal world, with a fusion of managers, consultants and analysts. And you have access to this wealth of knowledge which means you’re always learning new things.

So far, all my projects have been quite short and sweet, and no two days are ever the same. I’ve been doing a lot of proposal work – that’s when we’re trying to win business in a competitive tender. For example, if the project is an outsourcing deal, we’ll be making the business case for doing the outsourcing, and the case for why they should use Accenture. When it comes to preparing the final presentation and document, the time-frames can get tight, but it’s actually quite a lot of fun and you do feel you’re making a difference. When it’s down to being between ourselves and just one competitor, and it’s neck and neck, the working environment is electrifying.