Ella O' Nuallain: Healthcare Consultant at Rebbeck Consulting

Tell us about yourself.  Where did you go to college and what did you study?

I studied Commerce at UCD, graduating in 2016. I also spent a semester abroad at UNSW in Sydney during this time.

What have you been doing since you finished college? 

I joined PwC Ireland straight after college (after a ‘last hurrah’ road trip across the US!) and spent three years working in Management Consulting. I worked with a variety of clients across Healthcare, Government and Financial Services, and found my niche in health system reform. Last year I moved back to Sydney and joined Rebbeck Consulting, a boutique healthcare consultancy, where I now work as a manager on the team. We work on projects across the globe – predominantly in Australia, Canada and the UK.

Did ISCG come up in any of your interviews, how did the employer react?

Yes – Employers were interested in hearing more about ISCG and what kind of projects I had worked on with the group.

Why did you join ISCG?

I joined ISCG to get hands-on Consulting experience, whilst still at university. From my research, I thought Consulting sounded like a career that would interest me, but I didn’t quite know how it would play out in the real world, as it was all conceptual at that point. ISCG brought Consulting to life for me and confirmed my interest in the space. (It was also a big help on the CV!)

What’s the most beneficial thing you learned/experienced during your time with ISCG?

Being part of the ISCG gave me confidence in the workplace from day 1. Whilst corporate life was all very new to me, having experience working on Consulting engagements, as well as directly with clients, really stood to me in those first few months.

What skills did you use while working on ISCG projects? Have these come useful since you started your career?

The key skills I used working on ISCG projects were strategic thinking, problem solving, research and analysis. It also gave me an opportunity to hone my communication and presentation skills, with both my team and the client. These are core consulting skills which I now use on a daily basis.

How do you see the future of ISCG?  Where do you think the group is headed?

The group has seen strong growth since I joined in 2015, and now has teams across multiple universities and a wide variety of disciplines. Perhaps it will become a direct feeder for some of the big consulting firms, or it may expand internationally next. There are so many opportunities out there for its bright and promising leaders, and I am excited to follow the journey.

Would you recommend current students signing up for ISCG, why would you recommend it?

Absolutely – not only is it a chance to get hands-on experience in the Consulting field, but it’s an opportunity to meet interesting people from different disciplines/backgrounds.

What did you most enjoy about working with ISCG?

I really enjoyed learning from my peers, through our different styles of working and approaches to solving client problems. I also welcomed the opportunity to present our strategic plans back to the client at the end of the project. Perhaps most importantly, ISCG also introduced me to a good friend, who is out here in Australia with me now.

Any plans for the future?

Presently I’m enjoying learning about how healthcare is delivered across different territories and using my strategic thinking skills to solve important problems facing healthcare organisations. It is an interesting time to work in healthcare given today’s challenges of aging populations, the increasing prevalence of chronic disease, climate change, mental health issues, depleting funding / human resources and technological disruption – not to mention COVID-19. I hope to continue learning and supporting change in this space.