Claire joined BCG London as a Consultant in 2000, following four years in the UK civil service. She has a BA in History from Oxford, an MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, and a post-graduate diploma in Law.

"Despite having had several jobs in the civil service, from criminal justice policy adviser to private secretary to the Lord Chancellor, I had not previously worked in the private sector. So I wanted to move to a firm with a strong, structured training programme, to help make my career transition as seamless as possible and leverage the skills I had already developed. Consulting as a career offered a rapid turnaround of new cases, with learning opportunities in each. And with its emphasis on training and personal development, reputation for breakthrough thinking, and the diversity of backgrounds amongst its existing consulting staff, BCG seemed the natural choice for me. Since arriving, I have been able to work on some very different cases, from growth projects to cost reductions, from grocery retailing to asset finance. I've hugely enjoyed the challenge of coming to grips with new industries and sets of problems in every case - helped by the expertise of my colleagues. Recently, my work has focused on retail financial services, which I find very stimulating. How can incumbent banks maximise their revenues? How should they respond to new propositions, new entrants, and new technologies? What are the opportunities for radical innovation in the marketplace? How is the consumer's view of her bank changing, and what will the impact of that be? Working with case teams and clients to find the answers to these tough questions is fascinating."