Tris Lumley - Senior Research Analyst, Tools team

During my five years in management consulting and market research, I gained a broad view of a wide range of industries and sectors – from high tech manufacturing to pharmaceuticals, via public sector procurement, fast-moving consumer goods, and … paper towels. My experience developed along the classic T-shaped consulting model – a broad range of knowledge across many areas, with much deeper understanding of specific sectors and issues. As a generalist, this is a model that has always fitted me well – not being restricted to specialising too much, at the same time as constantly learning about new fields. I have always enjoyed the learning process – getting ‘under the skin’ of a sector and finding out what the real drivers are, how what’s happened in the past has defined the present and will project into the future, where the key challenges and opportunities lie. My main problem with the private sector was that I found it hard to care enough about the issues I was researching and analysing.

At NPC I have had the opportunity to take the generalist consulting model and apply it to issues that really matter and affect me every day. I now have a broad understanding of the charitable sector, and have been able to delve into real detail on the lives of older people in deprived areas, of refugees and asylum seekers and of many other groups affected by deprivation and poverty. Armed with that knowledge, I can talk to donors about what the issues really are and how charities are achieving amazing results tackling them. And I can talk with passion, because these are issues that are real to me. Many of the tools and techniques we use are the same as those in private sector consulting and market research, but the subjects, the stories, and the potential opportunities are much more exciting.

tlumley@philanthropycapital.org

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