SPP 2019 Summer Internship Program – it’s a wrap!

By Phil Noble / 7 March 2019

SPP’s annual Summer Internship Program ended in February 2019 for our star players Jeffrey Xia, Dhanya Maheswaran, Kourash Keshavarz, Matthew Butera, Ashwin Agarwal and Quan Nguyen. Highlights over the past six weeks included an intensive training schedule, contributing to client work, individual case study presentations, a Partner and Intern breakfast, mentoring from the broader SPP team, as well as social events.

Being a mid-sized firm with an entrepreneurial backbone, recruits have the unusual opportunity to really get to know our 40 strong team members and partners and, as a result, they gain immediate insights into our clients, projects and our unique DNA.

“Our Internship Program is important for a number of reasons,” says Partner and Recruitment Lead David Mackay. “Young professionals will learn commercial skills that enable the delivery of a structured, tailored, and evidence-based approach to solving complex business problems. Interns work on real client projects, undertaking quantitative and qualitative analysis, participating in client interviews and workshops, and helping develop client-ready communications and reports.”

Program Manager and Consultant Paul Andrews says – “We put together a great program where our interns could enjoy all aspects of consulting life. At the core of our program, there’s a real desire to nurture this young talent, and make a lasting difference to our recruits’ professional and personal journeys. Everyone in at SPP shares a part of that responsibility, and it’s one of the reasons we are such a strong team.”

Here’s what some of our Interns had to say:

What’s been your favourite thing about SPP?

The people – everyone was incredibly supportive and understanding. As someone relatively new to the consulting gig, every single person in the office helped me at least once during my four weeks – whether that be giving me feedback on slides, or careers advice, or insights into their own consulting journey.
Definitely the people! I’ve loved getting to know everyone here; It’s an awesome place to learn and the culture is amazing.

What’s the number one thing you have learned at SPP?

That consulting is not just about brains or academic knowledge. So many aspects of consulting rely on softer skills such as concise communication and relationship-building, which was a huge eye-opener.
How to organise my thoughts into a cohesive slide pack that is both visually appealing and has a clear narrative

Do you think you got the most out of your internship?

Most definitely! I was really proactive and always trying to get feedback, which helped me climb the steep learning curve.
The valuable feedback I received on my client work and the intern independent project meant that I was able to constantly improve my skills and I feel I gained a lot of knowledge from this internship.

What differentiates SPP’s Internship Program from other placements you have participated in?

Quite a lot of things – SPP’s program had uniquely effective training sessions, chats with partners, a buddy system and fun socials, all of which really set the program apart.
The amount of exposure you have to client work. From Day One I felt like I was a key contributor to team meetings and that they valued my insights. The onboarding training program was also excellent and very tailored to the SPP consulting environment.

If you had to describe SPP as a place to work in three words, what would they be?

Development. Inspiring. Collegial.
Challenging. Rewarding. Meaningful.

What advice would you give others who go through the process to become an SPP Intern Alumni?

Be proactive, ask questions, and always seek feedback! The team at SPP are all so willing to help if you reach out to them.
Go for it because it’s such a worthwhile experience and you learns so much.