Deborah O’Neill takes lead of Oliver Wyman's UK Digital wing

Deborah O’Neill has been appointed UK Head of Digital at global management consultancy Oliver Wyman. She will oversee the group’s bid for growth in the UK market, while drawing up the strategy direction of Oliver Wyman’s Digital, Technology and Analytics wing.

Recent times have unquestionably seen digital transformation consulting boom. According to the latest data, the market has grown to $44 billion, almost doubling in size since mid-2016, when it stood at $23 billion. As the need to digitise remains at the top of the agenda for most large businesses, keen to fight off challenges from new digitally savvy competitors, the market is only expected to continue on its exponential growth trajectory, and presents a major opportunity for consultants to grow their revenues in years to come.

Tapping into this, Oliver Wyman Digital, Technology, and Analytics (DTA) helps organisations capitalise on the opportunities created by the digitisation of business, and anticipate and neutralise strategic threats. The Oliver Wyman Digital offering includes services in data science and engineering, digital strategy acceleration, digital operations, and access to Oliver Wyman Labs. As it bids to push ahead with rapid growth in 2019, the organisation has appointed a new leader to its UK arm.

Already a Partner with expertise in technology transformation, Deborah O’Neill has been handed the new role of UK Head of Digital at Oliver Wyman. In this capacity she will oversee both the strategic direction of the DTA practice in the UK, and work across the firm’s leading UK clients. The appointment follows acquisitions over the past two years in the UK of LShift, a software development company, and Draw, a digital agency.

Having studied Physics at Imperial College London, O’Neill joined Oliver Wyman in 2008, initially arriving as a Financial Services Consultant. After five years she had reached the rank of Principal, coinciding with the launch of Oliver Wyman labs. O’Neill was in fact a member of the team that established the Labs wing, which provides businesses with cutting-edge design, computer science, and engineering expertise. She was made a Partner two years later, and was recently announced as a finalist for the Young Leader of the Year 2019 prize at the Women in IT Awards.

Commenting on her new challenge, O’Neill said, “Organisations across all sectors will need to take new approaches to technology to remain competitive and grow. I am thrilled to be at the forefront of our work in the UK to solve businesses’ most pressing challenges by harnessing the opportunities of the information age.”

Rebecca Emerson, Head of UK & Ireland, Oliver Wyman, adds: “Deborah has been an invaluable member of Oliver Wyman from the start of her career, developing our digital transformation programmes across our client portfolio. I look forward to seeing the impact we will have in the UK and beyond as we continue to invest in technology talent across the organisation.”