The 2022 Top Consultants: Kristen Sauvigne

Kristen is a Consulting Director in PwC's Tax Reporting & Strategy practice. She specializes in helping clients reimagine their use of process and technology and has extensive experience leading and advising on large scale automation and transformation efforts for Fortune 500 multinationals, largely in the Financial Services, Consumer and Technology industries. Kristen is a recognized leader in the digital transformation space, at PwC and across the industry.

Kristen's expertise and experience includes efforts to support clients in driving operational effectiveness and efficiency, Tax and Finance process redesign, implementations of self-service data analytics tools, robotics/intelligent process automation, and the development and execution of functional strategy, operating model and technology roadmaps. She currently supports several clients with finance-wide automation deployment, governance with the roll-out of emerging data automation/analytics technology tools, including automation design and development, robust upskill training programs and the stand-up and operation of automation and governance programs at scale.

Kristen earned her B.S. in Accounting and Information Systems from Fairfield University. She is a CPA licensed in the state of New York and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Kristen is a Lean Black Belt certified in the Six Sigma process improvement methodology.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

My greatest achievement (and the one I am most proud of!) is being a working mother and female leader. When I think of my top three strengths, they are (1) delivering quality, (2) building trusted relationships and (3) solving complex problems. Returning to the workforce after my maternity leave, I challenged myself to use these attributes to succeed both professionally and personally and not let one get in the way of the other. While the balance is not always easy and there are certainly some problems more difficult than others, I have found success in both roles and that success continues to motivate me to solve the next challenge that lies ahead!

What advice would you give a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

As an individual who thrives on routine and planning, I've learned that consulting will always throw you curveballs. Learning to embrace those curveballs, challenge the norm and adapt is where I've seen some of the greatest growth in my career. Said differently, learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable and recognize that it is OK to not always have the answers. What is important is that you have the intellectual curiosity and motivation to challenge yourself to learn and solve those tough problems.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

The most rewarding part of my career in consulting thus far has been the ability to innovate and develop relationships with so many talented, intelligent and innovative people. It's true that people are at the center of everything we do. Whether it's developing relationships with my team members or clients, it has extended me the opportunity to learn from others and collaborate in new ways to solve some really tough problems. The problems that we get to solve with our clients are the types of challenges that truly can make a difference in their organization and that tangible impact is extremely motivating and rewarding.

What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received?

While I've received a lot of sound advice over my career that one piece that has definitely helped me to grow tremendously is – don't propose problems without offering solutions. We are working in one of the most complex landscapes and our teams and clients face unique challenges every single day. While we don't always know the answer right away, it doesn't mean that we can't be innovative and offer solutions that begin to tackle the problem. Getting started can be the most challenging part and assuming responsibility to offer solutions in those moments has been a great way to stand out as a leader and build trust with my teams and clients.

What does being honored as a Top Consultant mean to you?

Being honored this year as a Top Consultant recognizes the commitments I've made to my clients and teams – to bring an innovative mindset, drive trusted relationships, lead with care and deliver my best every single day. It's also not only a reflection of the commitments that I have made but also the commitments of my mentors and teams that I get to work with everyday – their support has been instrumental in my growth and success!