Meet Alec Owens

We asked Managing Consultant Alec Owens why he chose to join us to further his consulting career.

 What were you doing before joining Credera?

After graduating with a degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, I briefly worked for a couple of start-ups in both product innovation and implementation consulting. I was eager to find a role that challenged me more, and find a company that felt like home.

What attracted you to Credera?

I once heard a saying, ‘if you’re the smartest person in a room, run’. I think I only fully understood the weight of this when I came across Credera – a company that contains a collection of incredible people who are fantastic at what they do. Being surrounded by industry-leading expertise across a whole range of disciplines creates an environment where you are constantly learning, challenging yourself, and growing both personally and professionally. Combine this with working alongside some of the biggest global brands on a range of exciting and challenging technical projects makes for a really exciting place to be!

What’s an average day at Credera for you?

Every day and each role is different, which I find really exciting. If I were to describe an average day in my most recent role as UX designer for a major UK bank, my main task would involve designing a new application feature as part of the global platform that we were working on. After chatting to business SMEs to understand some critical context, I’d begin sketching out some ideas around how we could go about resolving the problem. Working collaboratively with other members of the team always makes this a fun process, and I have found that bringing researchers, designers, and developers together around a whiteboard yields the best outputs. With wireframes drawn up, I’d move onto prototyping the concept in Axure - a tool that allows users to see how the feature and page will look and feel before embarking on any kind of development work. I would then review this with the product owner and lead architect to ensure technical feasibility, before eventually getting it in front of the users to gather feedback and refine.

What’s your favourite thing about working for Credera?

I was initially attracted to Credera because of how capable the people are, but I have also discovered that everyone is really nice too! Having such a fantastic working environment where you feel you can be yourself and enjoy working collaboratively certainly helps to diminish any Monday blues! There are no shortage of opportunities to catch up with colleagues over coffee, socialise after work, or get involved in one of the many staff-run clubs that we have on offer at Credera.

What’s your favourite benefit that we offer?

Personal development is really valued at Credera, and it is something that everyone believes is important on a personal level. There are fantastic opportunities to learn within challenging client roles and get involved in various communities of interest within the firm, but to have this bolstered by a generous annual training budget is incredible. We are encouraged to undertake any formal training or attend events that align with our personal career ambitions. In the last year, I’ve attended a UX strategy & leadership course and a virtual UX conference, and also purchased a number of books on design theory and design thinking – all of which has been incredibly valuable!

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

Being able to have an impact on the world around me has always been important. Working on groundbreaking projects, designing and developing experiences that people use and appreciate every day, and pathfinding the industry trends of tomorrow will always excite me.

What advice would you give recent hires?

Don’t be afraid to get stuck in, ask for help, or offer a hand. Credera has a fantastic culture of knowledge sharing and provides a lot of support in both project work and personal development. You will always be encouraged to bring new ideas, explore opportunities, and gather feedback. If there is something that you’re passionate about, keen to drive, or simply get involved in, your enthusiasm and expertise will always be rewarded. Above all, don’t be afraid to be yourself!