My Agilisys journey: Unsa Chaudri

Unsa Chaudri discusses her role as Senior Consultant in the Business Change Team at Agilisys.

What does a typical day look like?

As any consultant would probably say, there is no typical day. I could be leading a workshop, writing a business case, managing stakeholders, presenting findings, proposing changes to processes, benchmarking, and gathering evidence or shadowing teams, to name a few. It really is very varied as we adapt to cater to our clients’ needs.

Tell us about your team

We have grown in number over the past year and, although we are usually based at client sites and don’t always work together, we have a strong network. We have regular development and knowledge sharing sessions that we take turns to lead. We also socialise where we can, which in the current circumstances has been digital rather than face to face.

How did you get to where you are now?

Whilst at University I worked weekends in a library that was subsequently outsourced to John Laing. As I was job hunting, a chance meeting with the Managing Director led to me securing an opportunity in the business development team. I then moved to Carillion and took a secondment to work for the leader of a council. I had heard great things about Agilisys from a friend who worked here and swiftly gave her my CV. I joined as a Consultant in the then Transformation team and worked in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, which included a two-hour commute each way! Fast forward to August last year and I reduced my journey time by commuting to Guernsey.

What do you enjoy most about your job and working at Agilisys?

I like the variety I have in my role, it means I am always learning. I enjoy the challenges posed by clients as it encourages creative thinking and leads to innovation. I also really value the support and encouragement we get from our Leadership Team – it is that support that has led to initiatives such as the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee.

Tell us about your role as the Chair of the BAME Network

I joined the D&I Committee last year and we were asked to think about what we would like to achieve over the year. I thought about what I felt we needed and put forward an idea to launch a BAME Network and once it was approved, I worked with colleagues across Agilisys to set it up. In our first few meetings, we wrote our mission statement, aims, and identified areas that we would like to focus on.

As Chair, I lead the Network meetings and put forward our ideas and requests to the D&I Committee. I also work with the Network in areas of their interest and look to see what support we need.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their career in consultancy?

There are various routes in – some start as interns, others join following careers in other sectors, and some join somewhere in the middle. Do some research into the different types of consultancies. Reach out to them and ask questions as this will help you understand what kind of consultancy would be best suited for you. Then take every opportunity you can and put in all the effort you can muster. In consultancy, you need to be open to change and willing to learn and adapt.