EY FSO Strategy Consulting Projects and Insights

Hi Jan,

Congratulations on securing an interview with EY’s Financial Services Organization (FSO) Strategy Consulting team in the EMEIA region. To help you prepare, here’s an overview of the types of projects and responsibilities you might encounter, along with some valuable insights for your interview.

Potential Projects and Responsibilities:
    1.    Digital Transformation: Assisting financial institutions in integrating advanced technologies to enhance operations, improve customer experiences, and stay competitive in the evolving digital landscape.
    2.    Regulatory Compliance: Guiding clients through complex regulatory environments, ensuring adherence to evolving financial regulations, and implementing effective compliance frameworks.
    3.    Sustainability Initiatives: Helping organizations develop and implement sustainable finance strategies, focusing on creating long-term value and supporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.
    4.    Cost Optimization: Advising on strategies to optimize operational costs, improve efficiency, and fund transformative initiatives within financial institutions.
    5.    Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): Providing strategic guidance on M&A activities, including due diligence, valuation, and post-merger integration to drive growth and value creation.

Interview Preparation Tips:
    •    Understand EY’s Values: Familiarize yourself with EY’s commitment to building a better financial services industry that is stronger, fairer, and more sustainable. Reflect on how your experiences and values align with this mission.  
    •    Demonstrate Industry Knowledge: Stay informed about current trends and challenges in the financial services sector, such as digital innovation, regulatory changes, and sustainability. Be prepared to discuss how these trends impact clients and how you can contribute to addressing them.
    •    Showcase Relevant Experience: Highlight experiences where you’ve successfully led or contributed to projects in areas like digital transformation, regulatory compliance, or cost optimization. Use specific examples to demonstrate your skills and impact.
    •    Engage with Your Interviewers: Build rapport by showing interest in their roles and experiences at EY. Prepare thoughtful questions about the team, projects, and company culture to demonstrate your enthusiasm and proactive nature.  
    •    Practice Case Studies: Be ready for case study interviews that assess your problem-solving abilities. Practice structuring your thoughts, analyzing data, and presenting clear, concise solutions.
 

Happy to help you prep - I have direct experience interviewing candidates for the FSO team at EY.

Best,

Evelina

Hello there!

I don’t have an answer to your first question, to the second one, see below. 

- Prepare for the case interview - you’ll have to study for the different parts of the case: case structure, math, chart / table analysis, market size and brainstorm. 
There are free material online you can use, paid courses and coaching. I would advise you to chose a course AND hire a coach if time is short. The course would be less overwhelming than finding good free sources in different places and the coach would ensure you’re focusing on the right things. Let me know if I can help you in this second part. 
Considering the nature of EY FSO, it will be important for you to be well informed about financial services.

- Prepare for the experience / behavioral interview. Search online the most common questions for EY FSO and prepare your answers/personal stories. Glassdoor, Reddit, Quora may help; also, you could reach out to a current consultant in LinkedIn to discuss what those would be (I’m over simplifying here and getting direct to the final point, of course). A coach or an experienced partner could help you ensuring the stories are well crafted and appropriated.

According to what I have researched (Glassdoor), it doesn’t seem to be a very difficult interview (candidates rated it as 3.3/5). The process varies slightly depending on the country, but it usually has at least one case interview, one behavioral interview and the typical questions such as “why EY”, “why EY FSO”, etc. 

I hope it helps, feel free to DM if you have further questions!

Best of luck 🍀 

Mari

Hi Jan,

Based on my experience with other candidates, EY's Financial Services Organization Strategy Consulting in EMEIA works on a variety of projects aimed at transforming financial services. Here are some examples :

• Tech & Digital Transformation: Helping financial institutions harness the power of technology to transform their operations, improve customer experiences, and drive innovation.
• New accounting standard Implementation: Supporting clients with the implementation of the new accounting standard for insurance contracts.
• Strategic Cost Transformation: Helping clients optimize their cost structures and achieve operational efficiencies.
• Payment Services: Advising clients on payment services, including compliance with regulations and improving payment processes.
• Banking Services: Providing strategic advice to banks on how to better serve corporate, commercial, and SME clients.

Mattijs

hey!

EY FSO Consulting focuses on advising clients in banking, insurance, and asset management on growth strategies, digital transformation, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Projects typically involve market entry strategies, cost optimization, mergers and acquisitions, and risk management, often leveraging data analytics and digital solutions. To prepare, emphasize your understanding of the financial services sector, regulatory changes, and digital trends. Be ready to discuss how you can add value to clients by addressing complex challenges in an ever-evolving financial landscape.

Alessa