In an industry of nebulous and ever-changing job titles, “tech consultant” stands out as refreshingly straightforward. But when the technology itself evolves constantly, what can consultants expect from a career in this increasingly prominent field?
With roots dating as far back as 1849 and 400,000 current employees, EY is one of the major employers of tech consultants around the world. So what exactly does a tech consultant do, and how has that changed in an industry that’s now at the forefront of some of the most exciting technological advances in human history?
“I didn’t even know what consultancy was,” says EY partner in technology consulting Anthony Byrne, recalling the inception of a career which includes more than a decade working in the utility sector. While the role has become almost unrecognisable in that time, the foundations remain the same, he explains.
“Technology consultancy within EY is focused on client value. We ask our technologists to get deep in a skill set which excites them and gets them out of bed, but to always put it in the context of a business opportunity.” In other words, not suggesting a solution just because it’s the shiny new thing.
“Within EY, we’ve got all the specialisms you’d expect – data and AI, cybersecurity, digital engineering – but it only makes sense when we put all of that together with our business consulting colleagues to challenge the client: to say, where exactly is the value in this?”
This way of working, Byrne explains, ensures consultants aren’t just adding technology to their clients’ businesses because it’s exciting, but because it can drive real, measurable change to metrics the client cares most about.
To do that, consultants have to stay ahead of a constantly shifting curve. Right now, for instance, “we have both online and in-room training around AI”, says Byrne.
“We have feeds every day sent to our people with the most recent things to come out, and base training to get people more comfortable with [AI] concepts like neural networks and large language models so it’s not obscure – to allow them to innovate and be creative about applying it in a business context.”
Those business contexts include the world of Scottish liquors. “We’re doing something with a major drinks company, using AI to get more whisky out of barrels, which is really interesting,” says Byrne.
“Using historical data from hundreds of years of doing this, they can use AI to predict when to take the whisky out. It’s a powerful thing.”
“AI is a very hot topic,” agrees digital finance transformation manager Candice Tang, speaking not only of the industry but EY specifically, which has invested extensively in its EY.ai platform.
“When we’re giving advice to clients, we’re always looking into the latest technology – like now, is there anything that AI can help with? It can save a lot of effort.”
But how does Tang stay on top of changes in AI and the wider industry? “There’s a lot of internal training. A couple of years ago, the firm launched its EY tech MBA” – a fully-accredited qualification with Hult International Business School, available free to all EY employees – “and we have regular ‘learning weeks’ with a lot of virtual classes. The only challenge is time: during delivery we’re very busy. So we have ‘unplugged days’ [where employees are encouraged to block their calendars], so you can focus on learning.”
And it’s more than just the coding masterclasses you might expect, says Tang. “One [class] was about our internal tools: how we can use bots, and also different kinds of AI-use cases and technologies, the differences between them and how they’re trained and built.”
One clear thread that emerges from both Byrne and Tang is the EY commitment to giving its best and brightest the trust and support they need to fulfil their potential. The key purpose of EY is to help build a better working world, says Tang. “I do believe the firm is led by this vision. If you have any problems in your work or personal life, there’s always someone you can find help from. We have counsellors, we have buddies, we have mentors.”
Refreshingly, some of those mentors are high-level women, she adds. “I would say it’s good being a woman like myself [at EY]. We actually get a lot of opportunities and exposure. We have a women in technology forum, for instance, and quarterly events with diversity and inclusiveness sessions – one exercise asked our female partners to share their experiences around work-life balance, especially when you have kids. And we have women in tech awards for people who’ve made an impact.”
Tang goes on to describe an idea a colleague put forward that became a successful training programme. “As long as you have the initiative, you can get support.”
It’s the combination of this forward-thinking, supportive culture and the breakneck pace of tech development that makes it such an exciting time to be a tech consultant at EY, says Byrne.
“This thing is moving week by week. There’s a new [AI] model that we released last week which is 10 times better than the previous. We build your confidence to use innovative, creative thinking to say: ‘How can we create value for our clients and for society?’ It’s a great fun place to be.”
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