Victoria Evans on how Oliver Wyman uses corporate life to enable broader societal inclusion
Victoria Evans is a partner at Oliver Wyman in the firm’s government and public institutions practice, based in London. With over 17 years of experience working across UK government on strategic growth and transformation, she explains the importance of mentorship and support for young people trying to make a career in the professional services space.
Please tell us a little bit about your career background.
I was the first in my family to go to university - first of all I didn’t have a clue what a management consultant even was, but had always had a sense of drive and ambition and wanted to be able to afford the experiences that my family (single mum) couldn’t provide as well as wanting to provide something back to my family. I was keen to travel and work in a varied setting and basically decided to explore the opportunities within the company I worked for while I was in university (I was working for a BPO in the call centre). I managed to attain so much experience from that role, through having management responsibility at a young age and learning what it meant to drive performance and coach others.
I was also incredibly lucky to have strong mentors who backed potential over polish and could see the hunger I had for learning. But there were moments when bias, often subtle, shaped perceptions of leadership. Those experiences made me determined to build cultures where talent is what counts, not background or bias.
I spent early parts of my consulting career working across industries and sectors but the majority has been working across government and public sector, delivering large-scale transformation both in the UK and Internationally, often in rooms where fewer women were at the table. Early on, I realised that competence alone doesn’t guarantee voice or visibility. You have to actively claim space and, at times, create it for others.
What, in your view would have helped you in the early days of your career?
Sponsorship and mentorship were absolutely pivotal. The people who made the biggest difference weren’t necessarily in my direct line; they were those who saw possibility where I saw pressure, and those who saw talent over lack of experience. If I could change one thing for my younger self, it would be to own my story much more and not feel like I had to pretend I was from any other background than the one I was from. I would seek mentorship earlier and to be unafraid of asking for support.
I also think structured sponsorship programmes like those we’re now building at Oliver Wyman would have accelerated inclusion across the sector sooner.
How important is mentorship for young people, particularly those from diverse backgrounds looking to break into challenging but rewarding pathways. Consultancy, law, politics, boardroom management for instance?
Transformational. For young people who may not have professional networks or family connections in industries like consultancy, mentorship can be the bridge between aspiration and access. It demystifies career paths, builds confidence, and gives them a human anchor in spaces that can feel intimidating.
That’s why a lot of our efforts at Oliver Wyman in building an inclusive workforce, focuses as much on belonging as on skills, because the two go hand in hand.
Talk us through the key social projects you work on in Oliver Wyman – include BBBAwards and Women of the World – why are they important to you? Tell us about bringing WoW to Oliver Wyman, how and why that happened.
I’ve always believed that consulting excellence and social purpose should be inseparable and as my career has progressed over the years I’ve increasingly wanted to use the increasing leadership positions I’ve gained, to support broader causes outside of my commercial portfolio. I’ve had the honour of leading several initiatives that speak to that belief.
I brought the Women of the World Foundation (WOW) to Oliver Wyman as a charity partner because it’s one of the most powerful global movements advocating for gender equality. We’ve supported WOW in the evolution of their journey and as a global charity they have reached a pivotal moment in their organisation, we worked to help them shape their global operating model and strategy for the next 5-10 years to increase scale.
WOW have supported thousands of women and girls by engaging creating space to share many different stories and lived experiences through many different forms to create connect, challenge and inspiration. They confront some of the thorniest of issues in our society yet always through a joyful and celebratory lens.
I’ve served as lead host and judge for the Black British Business Awards’ annual judging day, and Oliver Wyman has proudly sponsored this platform celebrating exceptional Black talent across UK industry. It shines a light on excellence that too often goes unseen, helping to redefine what leadership looks like and elevating the stories and leadership of incredible business leaders.
During the United Nation’s 80th General Assembly, myself and an OW team launched Hidden Losses, Oliver Wyman’s social impact report with The Vavengers – they campaign tirelessly to end Violence Against Women and Girls (VaWG) and are committed to ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGMC). We set out the economic case for eradicating FGM. The findings were stark; $3 billion – a figure we believe is underestimated – is the economic potential lost each year because women and girls are subjected to FGM.
That’s latent talent, missed opportunity, and a great human loss on many levels. Our work was supplementary analysis alongside the first global legal and health landscape report in partnership with law firms King & Spalding and WilmerHale, spearheaded by Sir Max Hill.
Finally together with the Social Mobility Foundation, I’m also spearheading a new platform to advance social mobility. We will launch this platform to accelerate workplace change across the UK, spotlight lived experiences, open doors for talented young people, and strengthen socio-economic inclusion across our offices through charity initiatives all colleagues can contribute to. On that basis, The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is our UK Marsh McLennan Charity Partner 2025-2028.
These projects matter because they are not just symbolic — they’re about opening doors, shifting systems, and making sure that who you are never limits what you can achieve.
How and why is corporate support important to these organisations, and to Oliver Wyman as a business entity too?
True corporate support isn’t about writing cheques, it’s about shared purpose. I also believe that activism comes in many forms and when Oliver Wyman partners with organisations such as those mentioned, we’re embedding inclusion and representation into our business DNA. These partnerships stretch us, they make us listen more deeply, connect to bigger topics, lead with empathy, and better understand the wider world.
From a business perspective, it builds stronger teams, attracts diverse talent, and drives innovation. From a human perspective, it’s the right thing to do. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Why do you believe it’s important for successful women like you to sponsor programmes for under-represented people, be those gender or ethnicity based?
Representation changes outcomes. I know from my own experience that when a young woman, or someone from a minority background, sees a senior leader who believes in them it can alter the trajectory of their life. Sponsorship goes beyond mentorship; it’s about advocacy, using your platform to open doors for others. As we progress into senior positions, I believe we have both the privilege and responsibility to bring others with us, to make sure that inclusion is institutional, not incidental.
What do you believe are the benefits of broader societal inclusion in the corporate world?
Inclusion isn’t a moral luxury; it’s an economic and strategic necessity. Diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones research shows that companies in the top quartile for ethnic and gender diversity are up to 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry average. The argument has been made many times before but beyond the numbers, inclusion builds resilience and creativity, the qualities every business needs to thrive in uncertainty.
What would be your three key pieces of advice for anyone wanting to break into high-flying corporate life that might feel, for whatever reason, they are smart enough but it’s not accessible to them?
Own your story your background shouldn’t be a barrier; it should be your differentiator. The best leaders bring reality, not assimilation.
Find your allies as no one succeeds alone. Seek mentors, sponsors, and peers who will champion you when you’re not in the room.
Say yes before you feel ready, get comfortable with knowing that there is no ‘correct’ career path and each experience will open different doors for you. Growth rarely happens in comfort zones. The opportunities that scare you most are often the ones that change everything.
