Giorgia’s Path: From Business Analyst to Engagement Manager
Hello everyone!
I am Giorgia Alimenti, originally from a small Italian town in Umbria called Spoleto. When I was 18, I moved to Milan to study. Since I was very young, I have been practicing rhythmic gymnastics, and now I have been doing yoga since I moved to Dubai five years ago. I also love to travel – 55 countries visited so far and counting!
I studied both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bocconi University. During this time, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Boston, Singapore, and Beijing. Before joining FTI Delta, I did two internships in management consulting: one in Italy with MBS Consulting and one in Dubai with BCG. I also had a taste of the banking sector through an internship in the UK with JP Morgan.
I joined FTI Delta in June 2018, right after finishing my master’s degree.
A Chameleon Career
I was attracted to consulting because it seemed like a good choice for someone still unsure of their career direction. It offers transferable skills and opportunities. I also liked the idea of early exposure and professional growth, and of course, the opportunity to travel for work appealed to me.
I found out about FTI Delta by chance. I was doing my internship in London and realized I did not want to live in such a cold place, so I started looking for jobs in warmer places like Dubai. I applied to FTI Delta after talking to someone who worked there and liked what I heard. I also wanted to focus on a specific industry, and although I did not know much about TMT at the time, it seemed like a good opportunity to gain experience.
I knew that a more “boutique” environment would be a better fit for my personality. I had heard about FTI Delta's culture before I joined. I didn’t know it, but I trusted the rumors, and they were right. It was a good combination of everything: work hard, play harder.
Now, after five years at FTI Delta, I’ve learned a lot. I started as a business analyst, moved on to become a consultant, and now I’m an engagement manager. I’ve learned the importance of humility, working hard, and gratitude in my various roles.
Learning Something New Every Step of the Way
As a business analyst, you need to be humble and listen. Being defensive does not allow you to learn. Listening to feedback, even when it is not always positive, is the fast track to learning opportunities. Positive feedback helped me, but feedback on areas of improvement helped me grow more quickly. I am competitive with myself, so I tried to focus on those gaps quickly.
As a consultant, I have learned to work hard and not be afraid to speak up. Working hard is part of the job, but I think it also helps you grow fast and have learning curves that not many other jobs offer when you’re 25 years old. I understood that it was important to work hard, but it was also important to speak up for it.
As a manager, I have learned to be grateful to the people I work with and that patience, understanding, and inspiration are key. Keeping my team motivated, the client happy, and my superiors confident in my work is a daily challenge. It is not always easy, but it is worth it.
This journey hasn’t been without its challenges, especially being away from home and my family. Sometimes the challenge is also finding the right motivation to keep me convinced of the life choice I am making every day. But the opportunities I have had so far, such as continuous learning, traveling (earning lots of miles and free nights in nice hotels), and meeting new people, make it all worth it.
To be a good manager, I think it is important to be patient and learn to listen actively, understand your team’s needs, and try to match them with the client’s needs (almost impossible!).
Inspiring your team and being willing to be a role model are also important.
Being a manager is not easy because the level of complexity to manage increases exponentially. As a manager, you are not asked to find data for a benchmark; now the daily challenge is to combine different factors:
Keeping your team motivated and positive about their work
Keeping the client happy with the results of your work
Ensuring that your superior has enough confidence in your work to not add another problem to the other things you must deal with.
For those aspiring to a career in consulting, I would say don’t set too many limits for yourself. You’re young and full of energy, so let life surprise you. Since joining FTI Delta, I’ve had experiences I wouldn’t have had in any other job, such as visiting Sudan on my very first project, wearing an abaya to work for 1.5 years of my life (stepping on it a few times and risking a broken leg), and the craziest weekends and overnight flights around the world… I’ve traveled from Saudi Arabia to New York for a weekend or to the Phi Phi Islands for two days, learned how to deal with a pandemic, and worked from home late into the night for months on end.
One of my favorite moments in my journey with FTI Delta so far was the day I joined. I didn’t know it at the time, but joining this company was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve grown professionally and met some important people who will be in my life forever 😊.