My First Six Months at Capco – The Lessons and the Surprises

It is only six months since I joined Capco to build a team and implement processes in recruitment that can fuel significant growth for Capco in Asia - but it feels more like six years – in a good way. I'm currently fortunate enough to be on a break in Bali that has allowed me to pause and reflect on what I’ve learned and also what has surprised me.

Low bureaucracy, high autonomy

One of my biggest concerns about moving in-house to recruit for a large company like Capco was that I would find myself in a back office admin function with minimal influence. However, from day one, I was pleasantly surprised by just how open minded everyone is. The recruitment team talk to candidates about there being Capco’s flat hierarchy – and while there is obviously a leadership team and clear direction from the top of the house, it is striking how people at all levels are open to new ideas and trying something different.

On my second day of employment, I found myself on the regular APAC Leadership call participating in an open forum discussion where ideas were actively welcomed. I gained a real sense that if I wanted to change something, it was certainly possible – and that has proved to be the case. Capco’s APAC business continues to grow and mature, and I’m enjoying the process of setting out ways of working and reinforcing our culture and values, as well as evolving the structure of the APAC recruitment team.

While it is certainly not always true elsewhere, at Capco implementing changes has not involved layers of sign-off or convincing 50 different stakeholders to get onboard – rather, in keeping with Capco’s entrepreneurial spirit, it is just a matter of making a good case to our APAC Business Lead or regional COO. Capco is a great place for someone who wants to build or rebuild something.

Responsibility is everything

As more and more diverse talent joins our business – Capco’s Be Yourself At Work movement and culture is not mere corporate jargon – we are putting in place new ways of working to allow us to continue to disrupt the market.

The recruitment team recognize that – as one of our Partners noted – we are very much a partner to the business and accordingly recruitment, HR and resourcing sit at the heart of the enterprise in ensuring that our people are always valued as our greatest asset.

At the same time, to be true partners to the business, we also recognize our responsibility be more than a cog in the wheel, and to play our individual parts in driving positive change. Anyone joining us now will put their mark on shaping the future of Capco APAC and leave their own unique legacy – a rare proposition for a global organization and something that will shine brightly on anyone’s CV.

Everyone is the same, but not a robot

Capco is ‘big enough to scale and small enough to care’, and one of the best experiences I have had so far is seeing that action. On the one hand, Capco is a dedicated global financial services consultancy delivering end-to-end transformation for many of industry’s largest and most prestigious names. At the same time, working for Capco has a strong start-up vibe. Everyone I’ve interacted with – from Hong Kong to Bangkok to Dubai to London to Sao Paolo to New York – have displayed a similar style: open, respectful, fun, curious, and honest when offering feedback or explaining where the business is today… and where we are heading tomorrow.

Making good on promises

On joining I understood the company is growing in terms of headcount, office size and client base; that there is a diverse and extremely talented leadership team with world-class industry backgrounds; and that the company would be delivering more of the innovative and truly transformational work that Capco is known for around the world. Certainly, when interviewing for any role, one tends to focus only on the good things. However, those expectations have all been met since I joined in October. The future is an thrilling prospect, and it is amazing to be part of such a dynamic project.

I don’t know what exactly the next six months will hold. What I do know is that I’m excited by the team we have assembled, and as a business we have the people, processes and technology in place to reach our next milestones. To hear more about those milestones, and the role you might play in helping Capco achieve our goals, please do reach out – wherever you are in the world.