Socioeconomic development

What does a consultant do? Useful answers from a Consultant

Katherine Vlachos works at

LDK Consultants during the last 9 years

BSc in International History from theLondon School of Economics Master in Mediterranean Studies from King's College London

Mrs. Katherine Vlachos has been at LDK Consultants since 2006.

LDK Consultants is one of the few multidisciplinary development consultancies adding value to our natural and built environment by combining engineering and policy making services.

What’s been your biggest success as a consultant?

For me, successful projects are those which have a lasting positive impact.

For example, a few years ago we were involved in the Managers’ Training Programme (IV) which aimed to increase the number of performing managers in Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan able to lead enterprises through difficult economic and social conditions and improve the performance of their companies locally.

We brought mid-level managers to Greece in a programme of targeted internships, to enable them to gain from EU managerial competencies and know-how. Many fruitful business links were forged through this programme, which are still ongoing.

Another example of successful work is currently in Sri Lanka, where we are aiming to improve the visibility and reputation of the EU by raising awareness of the large-scale development programme being implemented in the most disadvantaged areas of Sri Lanka in collaboration with major UN agencies.

Our baseline research showed a very low awareness of the EU as a major donor in the country, and a tendency of the media to focus on issues where international agencies seemed to be criticising Sri Lanka’s sovereign rights.

To me as a European, this opinion of the EU was indeed astounding. Already, however, in the first six months of our project, we have generated a large number of press articles favorably reporting on the work being done, and the longer-term results of our assignment look promising.

What is the most significant factor that makes a difference to clients these days?

Clients are increasingly sophisticated, accessing a wide range of information over the internet and formulating their expectations accordingly. It is up to the consultant to judge whether these expectations are realistic and can be met with the available resources. The ability of the consultant to bring about a fruitful collaboration, whatever the starting point, is a very important factor of project success.

What types of projects do you typically work on? Describe two large projects where you were involved

lately.

My work has focused on technical assistance projects financed by international financing institutions – primarily the European Commission or other EU bodies.I recently completed such a project in Turkey as project manager. The project was carried out on behalf of the Turkish General Assembly (parliament) and aimed to improve knowledge and understanding between parliamentary circles in Turkey and the EU. Particular emphasis was placed on enabling contacts with EU countries traditionally negative to Turkey’s closer relations with the EU. A communication plan was developed and implemented, targeting parliamentarians, politicians, NGOs, the media and other opinion-leaders in Turkey and the EU. A total of 11 high level conferences were organised in Turkey and EU countries, as well as a series of 36 bilateral exchange visits.

These aimed to bring together parliamentarians and facilitate discussions on various critical topics at a more personal level. It was interesting to work within the Turkish Parliament to facilitate such a range of frank discussions, which the participants clearly appreciated. A modest step towards bringing Turkey and Europe closer together!Another interesting project is the one I mentioned earlier, currently ongoing in Sri Lanka. The challenge of bringing about a change in perception among local stakeholders as well as the general public, about the EU in Sri Lanka, is hard work but also very exciting.

Discussion with Key Opinion Leaders in fishing community

Baseline research for Sri Lanka project

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

I am looking forward to continuing in the same line of business, as I love being constantly faced by new and varying challenges in an international environment. On a personal level, I aim to be involved in assignments dealing with new topics, in order to further widen my understanding and knowledge of issues within the socioeconomic development sector.

What

does

LDK

Consultants

mean

for

you?

I have found an excellent ‘fit’ with LDK

Consultants, as regards the company’s

activities, its professional ethos and its

enthusiasm for tackling new problems

effectively, internationally.

Below are pictures from various events organised

for the project “Parliamentary Exchange and

Dialogue” in Turkey, including the Closing Ceremony

‘’There are many satisfying moments in this line of work!

Getting a diverse group of stakeholders to work together

successfully and exchange know-how from this experience is always

satisfying.’’ Katherine Vlachos