This month’s employee spotlight shines a light on one of our new starters, Sevcan Cigerli

At GPI, people are at the heart of our success and we want you get to know our staff better. This month, we focus on one of our new starters Sevcan Cigerli. Sevcan sat down with us to discuss her first impressions of GPI, starting at a new company during lockdown restrictions and working as a GPI Associate Consultant…

Job Title

Associate Consultant

Job Role

Supporting key client projects, providing solutions for strategic positioning of their assets within the pricing and reimbursement landscape.

How long have you worked at GPI?

II have been at GPI for almost a month now.

What was your first impression of GPI?

I had been following GPI on LinkedIn for a while before joining and one thing that stood out to me was the representation of women throughout the company at all levels, particularly the CEO. When the opportunity arose for me to apply for a role at GPI, I was very excited to join a company where I could work with inspirational female experts within the field!

In addition, during my interview process, I had a strong feeling that I would be joining a company that is very supportive and strives for individual employee excellence. Being at the company for a month, I can tell there is great emphasis on providing opportunities and support for its employees to grow.

Was it difficult to start a new company during lockdown?

There is a level of disadvantage when starting at a new company remotely, in particular, the lack of interaction you would have with colleagues you wouldn’t work with directly. However, my onboarding has consisted of a number of calls with colleagues from different teams, that I would not work with on a regular basis otherwise. This has been extremely helpful, as it has given me a better insight into the structure of the company and helped remove that initial barrier in approaching them in the future.

I believe this is a result of the collaborative environment GPI strives for, encouraging the developers, analysts, consultants to share their expertise and provide a high-level of support for each other.

What do you like most about working for GPI?

Definitely the people! I’ve had such a warm welcome from everybody at the company and everyone I have spoken to has been extremely friendly and supportive. There has been great effort by so many people in helping me adjust and settle into my new role. 

“I’ve had such a warm welcome from everybody at the company and everyone I have spoken to has been extremely friendly and supportive.”

What has been your favourite project so far?

As I have only been at the company one month so far, I have been involved in one ongoing client project. My favourite part of the project is having the opportunity to sit in the client calls and listen to the discussions around the project. It really puts the project into greater context, gaining greater perspective on client needs and the lengths that our team goes to, in order to assist our clients. Additionally, this has given me a great insight into how GPI works, the value we offer our clients and how I can be an important member of our team.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Since some of the restrictions have been lifted in April, I have been meeting my friends regularly for food. We are currently trying foods from different restaurants that we have been wanting to go to since lockdown. Hunting for good restaurants is my current hobby at the moment! I am also trying to get back into moving and have been very excited to get back into my routine at the gym.

Best holiday/place you’ve ever visited?

I had the most amazing opportunity to go backpacking around South East Asia, and it is really hard to narrow it down to one best place I’ve visited. However, if I had to choose one, I would say the Perenthian islands in Malaysia. A secluded island off the coast of Malaysia, where you were completely disconnected from the world as there were no network connection. I spent about a week there, getting my PADI scuba license and enjoying the island life.

Lastly, if you could meet anyone in the World, dead or alive, who would it be?

It would have to be David Attenborough.

I recently read his book ‘A Life on Our Planet’. The book discusses the environmental issues that are gaining more attention, as well as insights into some of the solutions a few countries are creating. It was a very educational and eye-opening book. I would love to have a discussion on this topic and hear more about his lifetime working as a natural historian. Also, I love the Planet Earth documentary series – I would love him to impart all his knowledge about the planet and animals on me!