Careers

Paul de Jong, Economist

"I was looking into economic consulting and CEPA stood out because of the breadth of sectors in which it operates and CEPA’s commitment to ethical work. This attracted me because it allowed me to get a big-picture view of the options before specializing, and because I intend to use my career to help people besides myself."

Stephen Garavan, Senior Consultant

"What first attracted me to CEPA was the fact that new joiners were not required to immediately specialise in a particular field or discipline. This approach gives the flexibility for new joiners to find their own areas of particular interest within the company."

Petra Koulia, Senior Consultant

"I worked in finance straight after my undergraduate degree, and two years into that I realised I wanted to do more in economics – so I did a masters, and then came across CEPA at a careers fair. The work sounded interesting and more meaningful, so I applied. After working for a very large firm, I also wanted to try a smaller place, and CEPA fit the bill for that as well."

Theo Guthrie, Consultant

"Some would call it destiny, others perhaps not. Having done both my undergraduate and master’s in economics, I knew that I wanted a job in the field. Following a year working in economic consulting elsewhere, it became apparent to me that a focus on public sector projects was more to my taste, and that is where CEPA fit in! I applied, got the interview, and then destiny took its course…"

Charlotte Hallam, Consultant

"At university, I thought I wanted to work in investment research in the financial sector. However, after a few internships, I realised I wanted to use my economics background to have a more direct impact on society, so I decided to rethink my career plans. I looked into economic consulting and found that CEPA’s ethos of applying economics to benefit our clients and also society as a whole really resonated with me."

Joshua Woolnough, Economist

"After deciding I wanted to pursue a career in economic consulting, CEPA immediately stood out due to its commitment to meaningful work at the intersection of economics and public policy. After learning more about CEPA’s culture from a CEPA Managing Consultant at an alumni careers evening, my attraction to the firm was solidified."

Anna Vilkuna, Economist

"The interview process provided a good insight into what working at CEPA would be like. How soon I was working on multiple projects of very different topics, and the responsibility I was given, has positively surprised me. Very soon after starting it felt like people have trust in you and the quality of your work."

Nicky Barker, Consultant

"From day one at CEPA you are assigned to a project or proposal, whether you join as an economist or higher up the company. The hands-on “real” work starts straight away, and you immediately feel like part of a team, much as I had hoped. The first year at CEPA has been engaging and rewarding, the workload is a good level of challenge, and throughout a year as an economist, you start to have a large amount of responsibility within a team.…"

Paul de Jong, Economist

"The role is largely in line with my expectations. The main surprises have been that the diversity of projects is greater, and the amount of responsibility you are given on projects is larger, than I expected. Both very pleasant surprises!"

Emily Sprake, Senior Consultant

"I have found my time at CEPA very engaging and motivating, which I had hoped it would be going into the role. I knew that CEPA worked across a number of sectors for a range of clients, but the variation in the types and topics of projects that are undertaken surprised me."

Theo Guthrie, Consultant

"As my past experience came from a larger company, I was surprised by the exposure you get to the running of the company, e.g. actively participating in procurement. In terms of what I expected, the technical requirements and intellectual content of projects is definitely as I had hoped."

Hattie Slater, Economist

"I knew that working as an Economist of CEPA you would work on a variety of projects and sectors but I didn’t realise how steep the learning curve would be at the start of every project. I have knowledge now on global diseases when I have never worked in health before. You learn so much with every project which keeps your brain engaged."

Joshua Woolnough, Economist

"In terms of the variety of work available and the types of responsibilities I have been given, life as an economist has been everything I expected it to be. Despite this, I was surprised at the level of independence given on projects to showcase and develop my knowledge and skills early on in my career at CEPA."

Anna Vilkuna, Economist

"Almost a year into working at CEPA, not needing to immediately choose a sector to specialise in is still important to me. I have enjoyed working across sectors and still have a few sectors to try out. I have also worked on projects that do not clearly fall within CEPA's sectors, for example, a project on local currency financing for infrastructure and climate investment."

Stephen Garavan, Consultant

"One of the things that first attracted me to CEPA was that new joiners did not need to immediately specialise within a particular sector so going into the role, I didn’t have a particular favourite sector in mind. Of late, I have been enjoying working within the energy practice where I’ve enjoyed working on some more quantitative projects."

Charlotte Hallam, Consultant

"When I joined CEPA, I was keen to get a taste of all of CEPA’s areas of work, so I didn’t have a favourite sector per se. A year on, that’s still the case. My favourite projects have been those with a social focus, whether that be estimating the prevalence of water poverty or identifying how new transport infrastructure can have a transformational impact on an area."

Nicky Barker, Consultant

"My second project at CEPA was in the area of Global Health. It was a grant evaluation (we look at how well the money was spent, what the benefits were, and if there are lessons for the client for next time) for a project improving access to point-of-care HIV testing equipment in sub-Saharan Africa. I was made to feel like a valued member of a small team, and was on the project from inception to close. The main thing I liked about the project was the variety of skills I was able to apply and how I improved by learning from team members."

Chris Sutcliffe, Consultant

"I have enjoyed being part of the CEPA team that delivered numerous reports for The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in Ireland as part of their consultation on Price Control 5 for regulation of the gas network. I worked on the project for approximately 6 months and was empowered to lead on several workstreams within the project, which provided me with the opportunity to develop new knowledge and skills."

Stephen Garavan, Senior Consultant

"Working in 2019 on an evaluation of investments in epidemic preparedness and response. The project was fascinating to work on and ended up being even more interesting given the Covid-19 outbreak that followed."

Will Edmonds, Consultant

"I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the regulator to develop a model that forecasts a major airport’s commercial revenues and operating costs over the next regulatory period. As a junior, I was given a large level of responsibility (I was the primary developer of the model), which was really rewarding. It was very satisfying to see the development of the model, from its inception to send-off."

Hattie Slater, Economist

"My first project at CEPA was to develop a definition of “Dynamic Regulation” in the energy sector and make recommendations to energy regulators on its future use. It was interesting to interview different energy regulators around Europe and I also had a role in the presentation to the client."

Freya Brown, Economist

"When I joined, I found that everyone was very welcoming and willing to help me learn. You get the opportunity to work on some really interesting projects that challenge your way of thinking."

Chris Sutcliffe, Consultant

"Working at CEPA is challenging but rewarding. As economic consultants we are required to stretch ourselves to solve complex problems, but getting to the solution is greatly satisfying, especially as our work is often for the public sector and therefore to the benefit of consumers."

Joshua Woolnough, Economist

"Working at a smaller firm after previous experience at a larger organisation has been great, as I have been able to make meaningful contributions on project work from day one. My colleagues at CEPA have been friendly, accommodating, and always willing to help me develop as an economist."

Petra Koulia, Senior Consultant

"People are friendly and always helpful, projects are interesting, and you get to learn a lot and be challenged. It’s genuinely great. (I may answer differently on very busy days close to a big deadline, but my overall position stands!)"

Theo Guthrie, Consultant

"You get to answer challenging questions in a variety of interesting areas, with the help of colleagues who have years of industry experience and care about making sure you learn and develop your expertise."

Nicky Barker, Consultant

"When I interviewed at CEPA, I went into the office, and was excited about being located in central London, right next to Lincoln's Inn Fields. However, I joined during a pandemic and it took me over six months to get into the office. Joining virtually, I felt extremely welcome. Colleagues are friendly and helpful throughout projects, as well as genuinely interested in your every day life too."

Paul de Jong, Economist

"The firm's culture matches the type of work CEPA does very well: it comprises smart and kind colleagues, who work together on intellectually challenging and ethically valuable work."

Chris Sutcliffe, Consultant

"Working on several projects across multiple sectors was challenging, especially when working in sectors I was not particularly familiar with. To overcome this, I had many conversations with experienced economists within CEPA who were always happy to answer any questions I had, whether they be big or small."

Will Edmonds, Consultant

"I have found it challenging to effectively manage my time in work; specifically, it has been difficult to effectively balance my time across multiple pieces of work. There is a big shift from managing your own time when doing your own work in university, to managing your time with various teams when in consultancy."

Paul de Jong, Economist

"At any one time you will be assigned to several projects, each with different project managers and timelines. Keeping track of the different responsibilities and deadlines can be challenging, but good time-management and book-keeping have made this much more possible."

Joshua Woolnough, Economist

"A lot of the project work we engage in requires a high level of understanding of the technical aspects of the sectors we work across. Developing such expertise comes with an initial learning curve, so tapping into the knowledge of more experienced colleagues was instrumental in easing this transition."

Charlotte Hallam, Consultant

"I really enjoyed being part of the team which estimated the prevalence of water poverty at a granular level across England and Wales and seeing how our work will feed into future policies to address water affordability. It was also the first project where I took real ownership over a part of the analysis, being responsible for compiling all the bill distribution data submitted to us by water companies. It was very satisfying to see the team’s work come together at the end of the project, even if there were a couple of late nights working to meet deadlines!"

Theo Guthrie, Consultant

"For me, I think my work in global health has been the most rewarding. I got to provide some meaningful analysis on a project evaluating HIV prevention funding. Getting to appreciate the issues, as well as the progress made, in fighting such a devastating disease has been something I really appreciated."

Petra Koulia, Senior Consultant

"Every project completion – particularly ones that you contribute a lot to! It is even more rewarding where I am involved in presenting the results to our client and they seem engaged with the material and satisfied."

Freya Brown, Economist

"As an economist working across sectors, I've been able to work with almost all of my colleagues. Everyone has a wide range of experiences, and I've been able to gain some interesting perspectives on a range of issues."

Will Edmonds, Consultant

"Relative to other, larger consultancies, I have really enjoyed having the ability to push the frontier of the company – for example, I think it is very rare that, as a junior, I played a substantial role in the delivery of internal Python training that will expand the competencies of the company."

Charlotte Hallam, Consultant

"The variety! I love that I can work on several different projects across different sectors all in one week, and that my mix of work can change completely within a couple of months. It means I can gain experience across lots of different areas and disciplines, and there’s always something new and different to keep it interesting."

Stephen Garavan, Senior Consultant

"I really enjoy the opportunity that is afforded at CEPA to work in small teams directly alongside established industry experts. Being part of a small team allows new joiners to take ownership over project outputs which is a great way to quickly develop your technical skillset and experience."

Emily Sprake, Senior Consultant

"The autonomy the role provides, allowing you to organise your own workload and take ownership of sections of the analysis/deliverable."

Joshua Woolnough, Economist

"The core of my interest in economics has always been the discipline’s ability to provide explanations and solutions to challenges across society. Challenging myself intellectually by problem solving and advising public sector organisations during my time at CEPA is my favourite part of my role as an economist, as my work feels meaningful."

Anna Vilkuna, Economist

"My favourite events might be the first ones that took place after I joined, such as the new joiner event - we went to play minigolf. Social events have been a great way to get to know others, and now I take part in organising future events!"

Emily Sprake, Senior Consultant

"Playing 5-aside football – a group of us entered a team in a weekly local league, which was a lot of fun!"

Paul de Jong, Economist

"My favourite event was the Christmas dinner. It was the first big CEPA social event after I joined (during the pandemic), and it was nice to see people in a non-work setting and meeting many people in-person for the first time, instead of on a screen."

Petra Koulia, Senior Consultant

"I’m a big fan of the wine and cheese nights, particularly when they are held at the office, as it feels a bit like a family get-together – everybody helps prepare the food, the kitchen is a little small, but there is still place for everyone, people drop in and out and sometimes bring their partners, and everyone is just relaxed and happy (though that could also be the wine)."

Hattie Slater, Economist

"My first CEPA Away Day after joining. We did lots of fun challenges and even had a singing performance at dinner which is not something you get in the office!"

Freya Brown, Economist

"Being able to explain my thought processes when working on a problem. It's useful when explaining my workings to clients, but it's also important when structuring models and presenting reports."

Anna Vilkuna, Economist

"I might not be able to single out one skill. Instead, the variety of projects and working across sectors has enabled me to develop both qualitative and quantitative skills, as well as skills related to the client-facing part of the business."

Chris Sutcliffe, Consultant

"I have developed many skills since joining CEPA, with the ability to explain complex techniques and analysis to non-economists being a skill I have developed significantly. High levels of client exposure have provided me with the opportunity to do this."

Freya Brown, Economist

"Training sessions covered a range of areas, including how to organise very large Excel models and develop our presentation skills. It's a continuous process, and we have regular sessions where colleagues explain topics CEPA has been working on."

Anna Vilkuna, Economist

"After the initial training in the first few weeks, you get to learn by doing as you're assigned to projects or proposals. Training sessions, which provide an introduction to a specific skill or a topic, are organised regularly. Most importantly, everyone is happy to take out some time from their work to help with any questions you might have."

Chris Sutcliffe, Consultant

"Upon joining CEPA I immediately helped with analysis and report-writing as part of CEPA’s work for Optus, an Australian telecoms provider, on a potential merger between its rivals Telstra and TPG. I was encouraged to get stuck in straight away by senior staff and had ample opportunity to communicate the ongoing work with the client."

Freya Brown, Economist

"On my first project, as well as helping with data analysis and contributing to the final report, I was able to meet with clients and do some wider reading. Every time I've started a project, the project manager has always taken time to bring me up to speed with what I need to know, and answer any questions I've had."