We speak to Mathews, ex-Deloitte Senior Strategy Manager at Endeavour Group

Tell us a little about your early career.

After completing my Bachelor degree in manufacturing engineering, I joined Hershey’s in India, who were also just setting up operations in the sub-continent. I started in candy manufacturing, moved to trade sales and distribution, and then stepped up to manage primary logistics and planning for multiple product categories. Given the early stage of the business, I was exposed to a number of different functions and was able to really get under the skin of the business.

I then pursued a two-year MBA degree at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), which included a summer internship with Amazon in their customer experience and analytics team for North American markets. 

After my MBA, management consulting appealed to me as the next career move. I had developed a strong understanding of the FMCG sector, but I was keen to broaden my skills and experience. I joined Deloitte Consulting in their strategy and operations practice in India. The role was truly global, with consultants jetting off to every part of the globe - supporting US-based clients in their local and international operations (air miles and points galore!!).

I spent my first 2.5 years with Deloitte in the US, where I worked across multiple verticals in strategy, M&A and change management. I then spent another 3 years between Japan, Taiwan and India, with retail and consumer product clients. 

Then the final piece of the puzzle - moving to Australia! My wife wanted to do an MBA, and decided to study in Sydney at AGSM (UNSW). Again Deloitte supported my move and I worked in Australia on some great projects. 
After close to 7 years with Deloitte, I began to think about what my next career step would be. A client-side opportunity with a business in the consumer goods space felt ideal, considering my interest and experience… which is why the opportunity with Endeavour Group on Movemeon was definitely one to explore!

How have you enjoyed the first few weeks of your new role?

It’s been an incredibly busy time at the Group, but it’s been really enjoyable so far. Not only is the time of year busy, being in the middle of strategy formulation and cascades throughout the business, but we’re getting to the final stages for separation from Woolworths. The team is great, a mixture of ex-consultants and investment bankers, and I am very excited about the next few months, as we establish ourselves as a new entity. 

[Endeavour will officially separate from its parent Woolworths Group in July 2021, when it will be Australia's leading retail drinks and hospitality business and an ASX50 company.]

What’s your best piece of advice for consultants looking to move into client-side roles?

Ideally 3-4 years into consulting, and once you have fine-tuned your consulting 101 skills, it may be worth aligning to a smaller number of industries that you are most passionate about. In my personal experience, potential employers resonated more with experience in a similar industry, rather than functional expertise across multiple industries.

What’s your best piece of interview advice?

Make sure you work on your own personal “sell story” as part of the application process. Why are you a great fit, based on your skills and experience? Also give the interviewer the confidence that you can jump in and add value straight away. This can be anchored on your familiarity and past experience in a similar industry.

How did you find out about Movemeon?

Pete [Asia-Pacific General Manager at Movemeon] invited me to join - I’m glad he did!

Would you recommend looking for opportunities through Movemeon? Why or why not?

Yes. The key is that Movemeon offers a curated experience. The roles are so much more focused and relevant, you know you won’t be wasting time scrolling through a bunch of irrelevant opportunities. 

Also you can be confident that the Movemeon team will be supportive throughout the process, compared to a job board where you could apply and then never hear anything again...

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