Experiencing Consulting – a conversation with Filippo Lanfranchi

In this article, he discusses the aspects which he has valued most during his time with us at B2E:

“I started working at B2E Consulting in September 2022, at the start of my third and final year of university. Working at B2E Consulting is my first corporate job experience outside of Italy, where I previously had a Financial Analysis Intern position at a Real Estate Investment firm. My decision to start my career in the consulting industry was mainly driven by the variety of roles and tasks that I associated with the consulting sector; consulting appeared to me as a field in which my team mentality, and my interest in creative problem-solving could be deployed in a useful manner.

When I joined the B2E Team in September, I was initially asked to support the Contracting and Consultant Onboarding team, as B2E was continuing to grow and place more consultants with clients, increasing the volume of work for that team. There was a vast amount of information to absorb, and complex processes I needed to follow, and I really appreciated the attention, patience and care displayed by all my colleagues involved in my induction at B2E. This allowed me to settle quickly into the new environment while starting to reduce the workload of the team.

The Contracting team play an essential role in the facilitation of B2E consultants’ work at their client sites. Whilst working alongside them, I realised the importance of strong attention to detail, plus the ability to nurture relationships through interactions with the consultants. Most importantly, I was able to gain a solid understanding of B2E’s business and its critical supporting processes. My individual tasks were varied, they included drafting contract documents and liaising with consultants who were starting to work on clients’ projects; we made sure we were handling all the admin and therefore making it as easy as possible for them to focus on client delivery.

As I progressed in my training and rotation with B2E, I had the chance to take on responsibility in other roles. My initial role was pivotal and showed the deep interconnection between all aspects of the business – but it was only by starting to work with our Delivery Partners that I really gained a more in-depth understanding of how things worked on a day-to-day basis in a more tangible manner. I started handling parts of B2E’s social media and the creation, update and cataloguing of the company’s content – helping our team convey the B2E value and mission through presentations and documents.

Throughout my time with B2E so far, I have been able to combine the experience and skills accumulated throughout the journey and improve my understanding of how to put my theoretical knowledge to good use – creating a valuable output that was of benefit to my colleagues and fostered my growth at the same time.

I have been able to use the goal-based approach I had studied, in a real-work environment, fostered by a mentality that rewards the achievement of objectives. It allowed me to work around my academic schedule and commitments without negatively affecting my work productivity or academic performance. The growth-oriented environment, together with the firm’s flexibility has facilitated both my professional growth and academic success – I feel both cared for and empowered to act freely while contributing to the firm’s success.

The choice of joining B2E was, in hindsight, one I will look at positively as a pivotal moment in my career and life path in general, as it has allowed me to explore a new environment, challenging myself while capitalising on my abilities.”