How PwC Is Leading the Tech Revolution in Professional Services

Business is evolving through technical innovation, and PwC, one of the leading professional services firms, is at the forefront of digital upskilling. PwC’s clients range from large global multinationals to small- and medium-sized organizations, which seek out the firm to help improve their business processes, transform their organizations, and implement technologies needed to run their business. 

On October 1, 2019, the PwC network announced New world. New skills., a $3 billion global investment in tools, technologies, and the people of PwC to disrupt its business and continue delivering value to its clients and communities. PwC is committed to providing its people with the critical skills to help them develop now and in the future as infinite learners.

The firm is focused on changing how its professionals work as a means to help its clients tackle similar changes, while being mindful of how these collective actions affect its people, clients, and communities. The firm has a critical, digital eye on its business and has been working to weave technical innovation and automation into its internal and external processes. 

To get a firsthand look at how PwC’s tech initiatives are affecting its people, Vault recently spoke with two PwC professionals who are both Digital Accelerators—employees at the firm who’ve gone through a period of intense digital training in which they’ve gained advanced technology skills needed to help approach complex issues facing PwC’s clients. Below are excerpts from those conversations. 

Patricia Miller, Senior Manager, is an IT Operations Team Lead in the Assurance line of service at PwC. 

Vault: What made you decide to apply to the Digital Accelerator program?

Patricia: When I first heard about the Digital Accelerator program, I was completing my MBA while working full time at the firm. As I was thinking about my future and my career, I knew I wanted to be focused on innovation and technology. The opportunities that the program offered were perfectly aligned with what I wanted to do and how I saw my career progressing from a technology perspective.

Vault: What types of things did you learn in Digital Accelerator training?

Patricia: During the training we learned more about AI, data visualization, data analytics and data wrangling. Through data wrangling I learned how to transform data—pulling it from different systems, putting it together, transforming it, in order to better analyze it. A lot of what we learned now enables us to make processes easier and faster.

Vault: What have you found to be some of the best things about working for PwC?

Patricia: If I had to describe PwC in one word, it would be opportunity. You have opportunities to grow your skill sets and follow what interests you. So, for me, some of the most influential experiences with the firm are the opportunities to test myself and see my progression, as well as the people at PwC.

Vault: How have you felt supported working at PwC?

Patricia: My leadership and manager care about me and my career. They care about me reaching my professional goals and my personal goals. For example, my team completed our first half marathon together. We worked hard together to reach our health goals and had a lot of support from many people here.

And as a female professional working in the technology space, I feel very supported by my managers. I’ve always felt that I have the opportunity to personalize and grow my career at PwC. One of the great things about working at PwC is all the ways the firm gives back to the community. They provide so many opportunities to give back. That’s a huge highlight for me.

Jeffret Madondo, Senior Associate, Assurance line of service at PwC.

Vault: How did you first hear about the Digital Accelerator program? Why did you decide to apply?

Jeffret: The Managing Partner of my office sent out an email about the Digital Accelerator program, and I immediately thought it sounded like an interesting opportunity. I was excited and took steps to learn more about the program and discovered it was not required to have a technology background to apply. After some supportive and encouraging conversations with my career coach and mentors, I submitted my application, including a video on innovation. I was thrilled when I learned I was accepted! 

Vault: Can you talk a little about the program? What’s the aim of the program? What did you learn?

Jeffret: The Digital Accelerator program allows people here to expand and build their technology skills. Team Members like myself are leveraging the tools and skillsets we have learned from Digital Accelerator training to create automations and workflows that help to improve processes at the firm and on engagements.

Recently, I created an automation that resulted in helping to minimize manual steps in the audit process. I also shared the solution I developed within the firm’s online digital asset-sharing community.

Vault: Could you talk about technology or other related training opportunities at PwC outside of the Digital Accelerator program?

Jeffret: Outside of the Digital Accelerator program, PwC offers its people a two-day technology training session called “digital academies.” The firm encourages each of us to learn more when it comes to emerging technologies, especially collaborating to work together and helping integrate technology into our work.

I never imagined when I joined PwC that I’d be programming and learning these kinds of things. But since I started learning about bots and automations, I’ve wanted to learn more and more. And I’ve been able to do that here.

I’ve also had the opportunity to teach digital academies and see myself going down a career path where I can continue to build bots and innovate. And as my career progresses, I’ve been lucky to have had conversations with my career coaches. That’s the great thing about this firm—you have advocates, pushing you to follow your interests, helping to guide you toward your goals.

This post was sponsored by PwC.