Tenacious Thinking at Teneo

 

 

 

 I’m Xin Shen, a Manager in the Management Consulting Team at Teneo. Teneo is a global CEO advisory firm, providing expert business management, strategy and communications advice to business leaders around the world.

 

From Scientist to Manager                   

I worked in a similar boutique consultancy before moving over to Teneo about a year ago. I was attracted to Teneo because of its progressive working culture. The interview stage was an opportunity for me to find out about the company; not only to see if I was a good fit for Teneo but to find out if it was right for me too. It is a two-way process. I wanted a role that enabled me to expand my skill base and strengthen my strategy capabilities. Teneo offers employees an opportunity to develop a breadth of project experience across different sectors, with a global reach. I work with pharma, technology and healthcare and want to specialize in these sectors in the future.

Before I moved into the field of senior business consultancy, I was doing my PhD at Oxford University and my specialist subject was Cell Biology. I worked in a laboratory analyzing cell culture for 10 years; it was 10 years of rock solid scientific training!

I made the switch by applying my specialist scientific knowledge and applying it to the business world. As a scientist, I was used to a logical, problem-solving, hypothesis-driven approach. Essentially, I had transferable skills that I could bring to the table, particularly in relation to the thinking process and using my analytical skills and applying them to business problems. While I didn’t have previous business knowledge, consulting is quite similar in terms of the nature of work. It is a piece of research we are conducting on behalf of a client – we are researching and resolving a business problem.

Even though I have switched to a very different career path, the skills required are very transferable to a career in business consultancy and I would encourage others to consider consultancy as a career.

Supporting work/life balance

Every single employer says that they are people-centric and that they really care about their employees. However, in my personal view, this isn’t always the case. At Teneo, they put their employees first and deliver on their promises. The company provides support at all levels, from advice on how to manage your investments, mental health support and allowing employees to adapt their work around their personal life and family commitments. Teneo also offers an industry-leading maternity package, which is a very attractive feature of working for the company too.

Teneo also closely monitors working hours and we have a time tracking system. In terms of work-life balance, senior management recognizes that your personal life is important. I feel this is valuable and quite unique in the market and was one of the areas that attracted me to Teneo. I want a sustainable career; not a career where I am burnt out by the age of 40.

Mental Health Support

I am part of a mental health support team at Teneo. We provide support, such as how to deal with stress and make use of wellbeing apps. There is also support for financial wellbeing and investment planning, so there is a wide scope of support for different aspects of life.

 A diverse team

Teneo is a richly diverse team with employees from China, the rest of Asia and other European countries. The company is doing work around diversity, equity and inclusion to allow all employees’ to progress through the business. Teneo is addressing issues surrounding unconscious bias, minimizing the pay gap between women and men and also exploring the speed of promotion to ensure that there is no unconscious bias. The company is trying its best to give everyone an opportunity to progress and reach their full potential within the firm.

As a female Manager, I really do feel that Teneo is a great company to work for and for anyone considering a career in this field, I would encourage them to look at the opportunities available. You’ll never know if the chocolate in the box fits your taste until you try!

 

For more details on Teneo's diversity and inclusion programmes and initiatives please click here.