Steven Catudal, an associate at Oliver Wyman, shares insights from his six-month consulting role in Saudi Arabia. He notes stark contrasts in office culture between New York and Riyadh, particularly in team diversity. Catudal emphasizes the involvement of local talent and the collaborative spirit he encountered, creating a fulfilling work environment. The projects in Saudi Arabia were sizable and ambitious, leading Catudal to feel he contributed to significant future developments rather than mere financial gains. His reflections also suggest a notable enthusiasm among Saudi employees to learn and succeed collectively.
The biggest difference I noticed compared to working in New York was the diversity of the teams. There were managers and consultants from India, Singapore, Dubai, the UAE, and Russia. The smartest talent from all around the world is coming to one place.
In the Saudi office, they try to staff locally when they can. A big positive of working in the region is that the projects are grand in scale and impact.
While working on the projects in Saudi, I felt like we weren't just helping a company grow or make more money, but building something for the future.
A lot of the Saudis are eager to learn from the project, and there was genuine buy-in from everyone on the team to ensure projects were successful.
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