Many people would say that a consultant's purpose is to solve those issues for which others have no solutions,
and I would agree that this is an accurate description. What I would like to discuss here, however, are more important questions such as
'how do consultants actually solve these issues?' and 'do the consultants actually enjoy their work?'.
On both of these, I believe CVA holds quite a unique position.
Although I was not familiar with CVA in Japan when a colleague suggested I apply, his explanation of CVA's culture fit ideally with the type of organisation at which I
wanted to take the next step in my career. He described a close-knit, 'family' type of culture created by open-minded peers from a diverse range of backgrounds, undertaking
work that was both interesting and challenging, creating significant potential for professional development. As a 'boutique' firm, he explained that CVA's consultants often
worked closely with their more experienced senior colleagues while also gaining direct client exposure at a relatively junior level.
Having joined CVA three years ago, I have found that my former colleague's comments were spot-on, and I would confidently convey similar sentiments to anyone asking me about CVA today.
While at CVA, I have had the opportunity to work in a broad range of industries such as utilities, automotive, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
However, I consider the cross-border nature of each of my engagements – which have often seen me work closely with other CVA consultants from Australia, China and Korea –
as one of the most valuable aspects of my work, and something that separates CVA from other firms.
This is particularly true as commerce becomes increasingly global; companies cannot remain sheltered from foreign competition, which is especially true for Japan and
Japanese companies. It is for this reason that our clients greatly value the insights provided by CVA's cross-border teams, which are able to synthesise key findings and
issues based on a diverse and truly objective perspective – even if our recommendations can at times challenge the client's preconceptions. In such a role, it is also critical
to manage the cultural and language differences that inevitably arise, which is achieved through the close ties within the CVA team in addition to client relationships built on
mutual trust and respect. I believe the global insights and perspective brought by our cross-border teams is one of CVA's key strengths, and something which I'm always
proud to be a part of.
In an environment such as this, a consultant's development is viewed as a continuous process, and I am confident that the challenging work at CVA will allow me to
continue developing my capabilities going forward. Throughout my career, I had always sought challenges to accelerate my development, and I believe this is common to all
professionals with strong ambitions. It can sometimes be tough work – but at CVA, you can experience it together with quality colleagues.
