The context
At EY, I worked with high-growth and AI-led enterprises on digital strategy, operational transformation and GTM. One of the most meaningful engagements involved an AI unicorn, where I worked closely with senior leadership — including the CISO and President — effectively operating in a Chief-of-Staff capacity.
The challenge
One major workstream involved application and tool portfolio rationalisation within cybersecurity and information security, across an organisation of roughly 800–1,000 people. That meant mapping the as-is technology landscape, understanding usage across the organisation, identifying duplication, identifying consolidation opportunities, developing recommendations, and presenting those recommendations up through board and CEO-level review.
A second major engagement involved compliance work spanning HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC-related certification, and internal and external audits.
The incumbent on this account was Deloitte. EY had to compete for the work.
My role
I helped pitch EY, coordinate internal EY partners and stakeholders, work directly with client stakeholders, position the offering, negotiate, and build the client's confidence in the proposed approach.
Outcome
The engagement was ultimately converted from Deloitte to EY.
What I learned
This experience taught me the practical side of consulting and selling: positioning, competitive differentiation, negotiation, stakeholder management, persuasion, empathy, relationship building, and understanding what the client actually needs versus what they initially ask for. It also gave me direct exposure to C-suite and board-level conversations — and the confidence that comes from having navigated one.