Piers Fleming

Describe your role and what it is that you do overall and on a day-to-day basis.

I am currently a Manager at Efficio: a consulting firm specializing in supply chain and procurement. In this role, I work with clients to drive savings and develop business functions / teams that enable efficiencies to be realized. These clients span across many different industries and geographies; therefore every day is a new and exciting challenge! The typical day-to-day is always changing - one day I will be prepping a deck to present a new strategy to a CEO, the other might be visiting one of our offices and leading a training on the role of AI in supply chain. Over the course of the 4+ years that I have worked here, I have been exposed to a wide variety of different industries: professional services, public sector/government, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing to name a few, and have been fortunate enough to travel to over a dozen countries as part of these projects. 

What interested you about the field/company/role you are currently in?

I was interested in consulting for many of the same reasons that others are: the travel, a constant pipeline of new projects to embark on and exposure to new challenges allowing you to quickly learn and grow. While I still appreciate these aspects, I find myself also enjoying needing to quickly build relationships with clients / new team members to ensure productive relationships.

This is always fun, particularly in a new geography / culture that I have not yet had much experience in. Often part of the work I lead, I am also involved in the implementation of a particular initiative, seeing it through from cradle to completion. Complex implementations are always rewarding, given that you can feel the positive impact that you are making in the environment in which you are working. 

Why did you choose to study your subject area at SSE?

Organizations are not static - they are global organisms that ebb and flow, adapting to new changes and technologies. Even since my graduation a few years ago, they have undergone fundamental transformations: COVID, AI and shifting political landscapes. How does one meet these challenges head on?

It seemed that this was the key question when designing the MIB program, and it was a question that I was looking to answer as part of my Masters journey. The curriculum captivated me from day 1: blending the line between core capabilities in finance and economics, to an interdisciplinary approach to how we think about how ideas are developed and realized. Whether it is about understanding a human-centric view on how organizations operate, to discussing how global market trends originate from a few key players deciding for us - this program fosters conversations and lessons that are invaluable to a young professional.  

Coupled with SSE's excellent academic offering, the possibility of a whole other adventure in the form of CEMS was something I knew I had to be a part of. Meeting classmates from around the world, having the opportunity to contribute to real world challenges, and be able to travel within the program for project work as well as the CEMS exchange all shaped the person who I have become today.

How did your time/education at SSE help guide you to the career journey you have embarked on?

One of the most consistent parts of the MIB program is its emphasis on team work for course deliverables. Strong collaboration is needed for a lot of the work,  so you are going to need to quickly build relationships with your peers and identify how different contributors' strengths should be leveraged. The types of projects that you are working on are always different too - therefore, you are encouraged to immerse yourself in new challenges on a daily basis.

I came to love this type of work, which naturally led me to consulting as a career path. Specifically, I was struck by how much I was able to learn from my fellow cohort members, given that so many of them had completely different backgrounds (academically, professionally, culturally) that there was always a wealth of different approaches on how to best tackle something. I knew I wanted to maintain this environment when starting my professional life too, which further pushed me to consulting.

Following the time at SSE, do you have any words of wisdom or advice you would like to share with our current students?

Invest in the student life - SSE rewards the students that take advantage of all that it has to offer. Coming from a larger university during my Bachelor's degree, I really enjoyed how closeknit the communities are - therefore, I would definitely recommend being part of one of the many different student clubs. Whether its CEMS or SASSE, it's how I met a lot of my closest friends. The coursework is demanding and challenging, so it is important that you can have some fun as well!

Challenge yourself - Like I said, this program is demanding. It pushed me the hardest that I ever had been up until that point in my life. However, it is also the most rewarding experience that I have ever done and many of the takeaways from a particular course or professor seem to always make their way back into how I approach a problem or challenge at work. However, the hard work is not without support - I have never had professors that invest as much into their students as I had at SSE. Each one truly wants you to succeed and grow, and they will always encourage you to share your opinion about a specific conversation point. 

What are three words that sum up your time at SSE?

Coffee. Collaboration. Kanelbullar.