Philip Lloyd: Principal

Philip Lloyd

BA History and Politics, 2005

Based in:

Milan, Italy

First job:

English teacher in Russia

Strangest interview question:

Why did your girlfriend choose you?

Principal, Fortlane Partners

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I support private equity funds and industrial players with strategic due diligences on assets, primarily in the consumer goods industry.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

Developing the investment thesis for each acquisition and helping my team develop the answers to each of our client's questions. I also enjoy the business development side of the job, pitching potential assets on the market to my customers.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

The key skill I owe to my time at Warwick is the ability to analyse/evaluate different sources of information, like putting pieces of a puzzle together.Secondly, the lessons from Politics and History as to why people are the way they are, including the decisions faced by historical leaders/politicians have helped me build my own compass as to how to handle the complexities of the consulting business (both internally and externally).

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I started off thinking that I would finish my BA and then sign up to the necessary courses to convert to a career in law. After a very quick stint applying for internships in investment banking, I decided to pursue the first part of my career in an emerging market (Russia), learning the language and working in sales before embarking on an MBA and landing a job in strategy consulting.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

1. Learn to network with people who are not in your immediate circle of friends. If you spend your free time at the pub with your mates, you will not get new information.
2. Don't be afraid to pursue a BA in a subject you like, even if it is not 100% relevant to the jobs you want to pursue. However, be prepared to do an MSc in Management to give you the quantitative skills and credentials you need to get in front of the recruiter.
3. Develop business sense by starting a small business or business-like activity as a student. Getting your hands dirty is a great lesson that the smarter recruiters will value.
4. Don't be a slave to the linear path. The linear path works if you have the best grades and pedigree. But once you're out of university it is the most resilient and adaptable people that thrive.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?

1. Unless you want to be your boss's butler, find a way of drumming up business for your firm.
2. It is better to work on a mediocre project with a great team than the other way round.
3. Don't be afraid to speak truth to senior leadership, even if it might hurt you in the short term. You will respect yourself much more for it, and so will the people who depend on you.
4. Dress elegant but understated.
5. You learn more from working properly from 9am to 7pm than by boiling the ocean from 9am until 3am.

What should current students or recent alumni be doing to move their careers forward?

1. Whatever you're doing, do it properly.
2. Find yourself a mentor outside of university that can help you ask the right questions.
3. Network, network and network.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?

Try to make contact with the companies and recruiters in person before you submit the application. If you're seen as serious and genuine, you are much more likely to get through to an interview.