Alumni Interview - Christine Luo

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Consulting – Business Transformation

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We’ll help you – with the scale, teams, culture and technology to build a career as unique as you are. We use our curiosity to ask better questions, that inspire better answers. Here, your career is truly yours to build. We’ll provide the tools, networks, the experiences and opportunities for you to learn, to lead, to innovate, to belong and to grow. This will open doors anywhere and have an impact everywhere. You’ll have access to learning, skills and qualifications for you to personalise your career. Reframe this moment for your exceptional EY experience.

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bit.ly/EYOceaniaCareersYoutube ey.com/au/careers instagram.com/eyaucareers bit.ly/EYLinkedIn_CareersAUNZ What’s the best thing about working for EY?

The people! Everyone is so nice and approachable, plus you share a special bond with the people you work with directly on an engagement. I’ve made friends across the globe, some I’ve never met in person, but you get to know people on a work level as well as a personal level – so you’re not only colleagues, but also become great friends. You learn from each other, you share experiences (highs and lows), and you ultimately grow together.

Thinking about your time at EY, what are you most proud of and why?

The amount that I’ve grown and learnt. I used to work on the industry side, and only learnt about Marketing within my sector over ~10 years. In 4 years at EY, I have worked in 6 sectors for 6 different clients on 6 completely different engagements. My learning curve has been through the roof and I would never have got that breadth of exposure had I not worked with EY. I can see how I’ve grown in my career, and the value that I can bring to clients. My confidence has increased, and I can now work with colleagues to pass on my knowledge as well.

What do you do?

“I solve problems for clients!” which means I’m a Consultant in EY’s Actuarial Services division, more specifically in the Banking & Capital Markets team of the division.

What are the duties, functions and responsibilities that you are involved in as a part of your role?

The quote in the previous question is the generic phrase you will hear about most consultancy roles, but in the actuarial field, we’re different – we’re cooler… We will tend to use more of our analytical, statistical and technical skillsets to either provide innovative solutions to new areas of interest or develop complex models to simulate real life habits or derive valuations for financial instruments.

In the BCM team, I work with banking and financial institution clients, which means client-facing interactions with their teams or using their data to perform different analytical methods. We also have more innovative projects that require building new processes and models to keep up with changing regulations in the banking sector.

Can you tell us a little about your firm's work culture and the environment?

I personally believe EY’s work culture is centred around comradery and growing from mistakes. You are truly rewarded from being curious and asking questions or looking for help, because at the end of the day, everyone started out at similar skill levels.

Consider my bias as much as you want, but I truly believe that out of all the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, EY has the strongest company culture outside and inside of work. There is a plethora of social clubs and activities EY staff can be a part of, and teams tend to have regular catchups or post-work outings. As a firm, EY has succeeded in bringing down the barriers to make employees feel more comfortable at work, whether in the office or at home, and I think this is backed by its popularity over the years.

What sets it apart?

EY has garnered itself a strong reputation for developing its employees through interactive, high-detail workshops that cover areas in technical expertise to mental wellbeing. EY provides its employees with the tools and experiences to further their career into the future whether they stay or move on, and the thing is, they are entirely about you and helping you find what’s best for your goals and lifestyle. Another key point is the graduate program. Being a graduate at EY is highly sought-out due to the sense of family created by the respective graduate programs and close knit teams. You will be spending a lot of time with like-minded people which is a great way to make new friends.

How did you get started in this field?

I actually got the interview for my role through a case competition, but as an Actuarial Student, I’ve had a long interest and knowledge in the actuarial industry. So remember, try out different opportunities because there is no one set path to enter the field of your dreams.

How well did your work relate to the experiences or studies you had in university?

I can assure you that university courses are about teaching you the fundamental concepts and understanding of how different theories and methods work. In the BCM team, we have pre-built models and templates that are built on the foundation of those teachings, and as such I need to know how these concepts work in order to properly use the models. There are also day-to-day tasks that require me to draw upon knowledge from university to form calculations or analyse results. Outside of drawing upon my course studies, having being in societies, I’ve developed good teamwork skills that transcend into my work especially since every project requires open communication and collaborative work. BSOC has definitely helped me be more proactive in the workplace and not shy away from opportunities to help others or be vocal within a team. And although my work in BSOC doesn’t naturally crossover with my work at EY, there are small parallels that only you will notice and appreciate.

Actuarial Consultant EY

Do you have any advice for someone applying for your company? Or more specifically, the field you’re involved in?

Skipping some of the basics, I encourage you to really research the EY’s values and try to find how you’ve shown passion for these values, and if possible, how you plan to continue that motivation at EY. Any company loves someone with varied experiences, so step out of your bubble and try something new. For me, that was joining a consulting club and learning new skills that I apply all the time.