Alternatives investment specialist Olwyn Alexander juggles a diverse range of management and client relationship roles in her capacity as PwC Ireland’s EMEA Alternatives Leader. She also makes time to fit in her commitments as a board member of AIMA, the Hedge Fund Cares Ireland charity, and a mentor for the Women in Derivatives initiative.

A career in financial services consulting can provide so many very different career paths and learning opportunities, that it's a good idea not to start out in this career with too fixed an idea of what you will be doing, recommends Gillian Comerford, who works with Accenture. Consultants need to be able to listen, be flexible, and be open to exploring every opportunity that comes along, she says, as sometimes the greatest and most unexpected of outcomes can stem from what initially appear to be very mundane opportunities.