BARR Associate Gains New Skills and Insight from Cross-functional Job Rotation Program
By Disha Shah, senior consultant, Cyber Risk Advisory
BARR’s Rotation Program provides the opportunity for associates to explore their interests and gain hands-on experience with another internal team of their choice. For example, an associate from the Cyber Risk Advisory team may choose to complete a rotation with the People and Culture team, or vice-versa. Once determined, associates serve their rotation through a short-term period—anywhere from six weeks to six months—by joining regular meetings and completing tasks or projects related to that team’s goals. Through BARR’s Rotation Program, associates not only walk away having mastered new skills, but they also help build BARR’s collective capacity. Disha Shah, a senior consultant with the Cyber Risk Advisory team, recently completed the program and below she provides an overview of the experience.
“As I finish my first year at BARR Advisory, I also recently participated in a six-week rotation with the Marketing team that was nothing but the most wonderful experience to participate in and a step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to learn something new about a subject for which I had taken an online class during my junior year at Northern Illinois University. Until I started my rotation, I thought time with the Marketing team would only entail posting about various services that BARR provides on the company’s social media pages and call it a day. However, as I learned about the various roles and responsibilities of our Marketing team, it became so much deeper!
I first learned about the BARR Brand Identity Guidelines, and from there it was a steep learning curve that led to work on a vast array of projects. I was able to work with the Marketing team to draft webinar questions for initiatives with our partners; draft content pieces for Instagram and LinkedIn; write a blog about the New York Post’s recent security breach; work on the annual marketing plan for one of the many service lines provided by BARR; and conduct market research for a competitive analysis assignment.
The most significant highlight from my marketing rotation, though, was having the opportunity to work with the most talented marketing professionals who were so enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and equally enthusiastic about accepting my new ideas.
If this is a benefit your organization offers, I highly recommend taking advantage of rotating within your company to learn how another department operates and impacts the business by offering cross-functional expertise. Having the insight of the Marketing team’s functions has given me perspective that I will surely take back and leverage in my work on the audit team. I’ve discovered that I have valuable knowledge on current cybersecurity events and industry trends, and moving forward, I intend to challenge myself to consider where I can lend my industry knowledge to propel our organization. Also, if your organization doesn’t have a program like this, send a suggestion to your People and Culture team. The experience is invaluable!”
About the Author:
As a Senior Consultant in BARR’s Cyber Risk Advisory practice, Disha Shah is responsible for planning and executing information technology audits and client risk assessments for clients in various highly regulated industries.
Prior to joining BARR, Disha served as an associate in KPMG’s risk advisory practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and management information systems from Northern Illinois University. Disha is quadrilingual, and can communicate in English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Sanskrit.