Share
Stax Associate Director Shoaa Ansari recently participated in a panel discussion hosted by Management Consulted, titled “Women in Consulting”—a panel meant to empower women in consulting and discuss how firms can expand opportunities for women in the workplace. The panel highlighted insights from several women in consulting, offering their perspectives and addressing questions posed by Management Consulted and the audience. Here is a transcript of her Q&A.
1. Introduce yourself, your firm, and share one reason you think women should consider a career in consulting.
I am Shoaa Ansari, an Associate Director at Stax. Prior to Stax, I was working at Strategy& and another boutique consulting firm focused on growth strategy and M&A strategy.
Stax is a global strategy consulting firm with offices in the U.S., London, and Sri Lanka. We focus on private equity and serve investors and management teams at every step of the investment cycle (e.g., investment strategy, buy-side diligence, value creation, and exit planning). The firm has grown over the past 30 years and continues to scale, with its focus being primarily on mid-market and large cap private equity clients.
Currently, we conduct 350+ market and vendor due diligence engagements annually with focuses on the technology, healthcare, consumer, and business services verticals. It has been exciting to be part of a firm that continues to grow rapidly.
I find that the reasons to be in consulting aren’t quite different between men and women. Personally, I have been drawn to consulting for its fast-paced and dynamic environment where I can work with demanding and intelligent private equity clients who push us to do our best work. I also find the challenges presented in my work rewarding and satisfying. In addition, I believe that these experiences set you up very well for opportunities if you ever shift away from consulting.
2. What is a challenge you have faced as a woman in consulting, and how have you navigated it?
I have been lucky to have worked for firms that have pushed for gender equality and diversity and provided me with a strong platform for growth. However, as I have grown up in consulting, a challenge that I’ve faced has been finding my voice in internal and client discussions when, on numerous occasions, I have found myself to be the only woman in the room. As we all know, both private equity and consulting skew heavily towards men, and I’ve had to build confidence in sharing my opinions and being assertive without worrying about saying the right things as I have gradually earned a seat at the table.
As a mentor, I find that female consultants struggle to find other women to look up to at firms given the limited number of women in leadership. While firms are trying to change that, I feel that they, unfortunately, are not progressing fast enough to help generations of women feel represented.
3. What is a common myth or misconception about women in consulting?
A common myth about women in consulting is that a female leader should be sweet, soft-spoken, less direct, and a beacon of positivity; and if she isn’t, she is considered abrasive, too direct, or difficult to work with. There is subtle sexism in expecting women to be a certain way because of traditional stereotypical gender expectations.
Just like men, women have their own personalities, communication styles, and likes/dislikes. I have seen people have different expectations on how women should behave vs. their male peers which can make being authentic challenging for women. I don’t think that women need to emulate stereotypical “feminine” traits to be successful in consulting or to be a leader in consulting. Being assertive and direct, with a strong personality should be welcomed by progressive firms seeking gender equality.
4. How does your firm support women (i.e, professional development, support groups, events)?
Stax has a highly active women’s network that fosters a safe and collaborative space for all women across levels. We have a strong network within our offices and across offices. We have developed successful programs, such as a speaker series, where women in private equity and banking engage with other women, discussing various relevant topics.
In addition, Stax holds monthly social events including breakfasts, happy hours, and regular group dinners to give women more social settings to network. We also have topic-based lunch & learns to discuss relevant/current topics impacting women in the workplace. We extend invitations not only to women on some topics, but also to our male colleagues to participate in these discussions. This reflects our commitment to allyship, which is a core principle of the culture at Stax.
Stax remains focused on building a community for women where they can find support as they grow in tenure and that support comes from both male and female colleagues. Starting as early as our recruiting, we make sure that all women have access to opportunities, and we have been improving benefits to attract (and retain) more women.
5. Please share your best piece of advice for how women can create a thriving career in consulting.
Women should strive to be their authentic self and create their own path. There are a lot of voices in consulting that push us or want us to conform to the status quo because they haven’t seen something done differently. However, it is on us as individuals to shift the norms and trigger the change that we want in the industry.
About Stax
Stax is a global management consulting firm serving corporate and private equity clients across a broad range of industries including software / technology, healthcare, business services, industrial, consumer/retail, and education. The firm partners with clients to provide data-driven, actionable insights designed to drive growth, enhance profits, increase value, and make better investment decisions. Please visit www.stax.com and follow Stax on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Read More
