We are pleased to announce the appointment of Natasha Raffa to the position of Consultant at SATOV. Natasha has demonstrated strong leadership skills across commercial diligence, strategy and operations work.
SATOV president Mark Satov has high praise for Natasha: “Natasha has a powerful mind for all things mathematical and can drive analysis teams through the fewest number of loops to get to the right answer. Yet she also has a high EQ, and that, when combined with her process management skills, makes her a fabulous lead on post-merger integration and other projects, working closely with client teams.”
Most recently, Natasha played an instrumental role working with a multi-site healthcare client during post-merger integration work and is currently leading a strategy project with a not-for-profit agency. Natasha joined SATOV full-time in 2018 following her internship over two placements. Natasha has an honours financial mathematics degree and a BBA from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University.
We asked Natasha about her promotion and what advice she has for newer analysts:
How do you think that your role has changed since your promotion?
It is more responsibility and ownership for both deliverables and the firm’s growth. I have stepped into a leadership role on cases, managing client relationships and having strategic conversations with executives. I have felt an increase in accountability for the quality and feasibility of the answers I am delivering to the clients. I have also been a lot more involved in the firm’s development, helping make important decisions to grow the firm.
What have you been working on post-promotion?
I’ve been on two cases following my promotion. One of them was the continuation of a long strategy and implementation engagement with a healthcare client, where I took ownership of the implementation when one of my colleagues went on leave. The second was a holistic strategy case for a primary research provider and think tank in Canada. Currently, I’m working on our internal recruiting plan, and looking forward to bringing amazing new talent into the firm.
What was your reaction to the promotion?
I was grateful that my hard work was being recognized. I was confident in my abilities and I knew I was performing at a consultant level, so it felt good to get that validation. It also feels very satisfying to see yourself grow within an organization and take on additional responsibilities.
Having been through the process, what advice would you give new analysts to fast-track them on the path upwards?
You need to reflect on your performance and understand your strengths and weaknesses. Once you know where you have gaps, you can put the effort forward to develop the skills necessary to fill them. Whether your area for development is in analytics or certain soft skills, there are always training resources available internally and externally to use. Overall, it is important to be genuine about the effort you put into things. You can only expect what you put in to come back.
What are some of the highlights of your time at Satov?
Many of my highlights are memories with my colleagues and the friendships I’ve developed over the years. So many people on the team, past and present, are amazing.
Reflecting on my project experience, one of my favorite cases was a pro-bono engagement for KidsAbility. It was earlier on in my consulting career, and it was one of the first times I was able to see very clearly the value we could offer an organization as consultants. I was proud to be able to help KidsAbility navigate the government funding changes and help them continue to do their amazing work for the community.
What are you most looking forward to in the next six months?
I am looking forward to Covid being over and being able to connect with the team in person. I also looking forward to bringing on new talent and growing the team. Lastly, I am eager to see how we can help clients over the next few months as the economy starts to reopen.