Voice of Experience: Marissa Thomas, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Even after 20 years in the industry, PwC’s head of private equity, Marissa Thomas, says she still loves what initially drew her to the field: the adrenaline rush of a fast-paced industry rife with deadlines and tight-knit teams.

Thomas has spent the entirety of her career with PwC. She started in the regional corporate tax business, moved into the M&A tax business and even spending a three-year stint in Switzerland, where she was second in command with a team from all over the globe. Ten years after joining the firm, she was named partner – a great achievement given that the average time it takes to make partner is seventeen years.

“My role has changed a lot, shifting from client services to focus more on private equity,” Thomas said. “Two years ago I took over private equity, which is 10 percent of our revenue in the UK and I’m very proud to lead that business. When I started leading the business the industry dynamics were changing, and with that came a challenge to encourage our private equity teams to be more innovative about how they add value to clients. It was hard work but rewarding when people in the business and more importantly our clients responded positively to our approach.”

Plenty To Be Proud Of

Thomas can add being the first women to head private equity in the UK firm, a division notoriously run by men, to her long list of noteworthy achievements.

“It’s a big achievement and recognition of your hard work. I’m equally proud when clients ask me to take on big roles outside of my specialty, as it that they’re willing to put their faith in me and they trust I’ll do a good job,” Marissa said.

Thomas says she doesn’t wish to change anything about her career or the way she’s approached it. Part of the reason, she says, is that hers is an industry that changes rapidly.

“Of course you can say you wish you would have known how time consuming things would be, but on some level we all know that going in,” Thomas laughed. “I wouldn’t have changed anything, really. Maybe I would have kept my eyes more wide open earlier in my career. You learn as you go and in a fast-paced environment, you’re learning a lot. But that’s what keeps me interested and motivated in my job.”

Find The Right Fit

When Thomas looks back at her 20’s, they’re full of memories of hard work, but there was also a great deal of flexibility. She credits PwC with having a culture that enables this work-life balance and encourages young women to seek out organisations that offer the same.

“Young women look at this industry and think all organisations are the same and assume they all operate a certain way. It’s not the same at PwC. You have to figure out what you want a company culture to be and then be open to learning about it,” Thomas said. “Often assumptions are made about how you’ll have to work or how much you’ll have to work. My advice is this: Get out of that mindset and explore your options by speaking to senior women who understand what’s needed to be successful and who can share that information with you so you’re not making decisions based on assumptions.”

By Tina Vasquez