Global Management Consulting: Sabre Konidaris in Kuala Lumpur

Mr Sabre Konidaris is studying the Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance). He was awarded the Global Management Consulting Travel Grant to Kuala Lumpur in November 2017. Sabre completed a project at TM ONE, the enterprise and public-sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia.

Sabre Konidaris

Get ready:

“Mum, Dad; I’m in! I’m going to Malaysia!”

My family and friends were excited; I could not have asked for a supportive company. However, I couldn’t ignore the apprehension of international travel to a foreign city with students whom I hadn’t previously worked with.

Venturing to the growing economic hub of Kuala Lumpur was my opportunity to learn about new cultures in a business environment. I knew very little about Malaysia and purposely chose Kuala Lumpur to broaden my knowledge.

The project:

TM ONE sought recommendations to support their entry into new industries via innovative ICT solutions. My team’s objective was to analyse our client’s position in the market, recommend strategies to target customers and identify emerging opportunities.

I applied and developed my skills in research, presentation, stakeholder management and teamwork. It was exhilarating to present our findings to senior management, and it was a real highlight that even the CEO attended our final presentation!

My team:

My team became close-knit throughout the course of the project. I felt proud because we leveraged our strengths to assist each other and drew upon diverse past experiences when sharing ideas. For example, one team member was particularly strong at interviewing stakeholders, whilst another could quickly identify relevant facts to support our recommendations.

The one marketing major in our team contributed significantly to the customer analysis component of the project, whereas I took more responsibility in organisation and ensuring coherence, and clarity of presentation. Whilst many tasks were undertaken collectively, having individual responsibilities proved efficient.

Our interdependence and leadership across different areas helped us deliver a quality presentation of professional standard. We regularly helped each other with points of difficulty but the stress from our deadlines sometimes resulted in minor conflict. Thankfully, we had a collective focus and team bond that helped us to be rigorous and make better recommendations. This positive culture of support extended beyond the project, such as when one team member pulled out a sewing kit after another accidentally tore their trousers!

What I took away:

I would describe my experience as uplifting, eye-opening and skill-building, due to:

  1. amazing teamwork, collaborating with others and sharing diverse perspectives
  2. a new world view: appreciation for the global significance of Malaysia amongst ASEAN countries
  3. my personal skills-development in consulting; as an aspiring Consultant, this experience is invaluable and has equipped me with hands-on knowledge of the industry from a global perspective. I am eagerly looking forward to a career in this field!

Recommendations to students:

I encourage B.Com students to apply for this subject to develop their character and skills. The application process isn’t time-consuming and the University provides excellent support and resources.

If you’re fortunate to get into the GMC, I recommend getting to know your team members, to understand their ideas and work habits. Time spent together beforehand can help when carrying out your project in-company.

Apply for Global Management Consulting today.