Georgie Lamb’s journey from Liverpool to global strategic management

Posted on: 1 October 2026 by Georgie Lamb in Where are they now?

ULMS alumna Georgie Lamb, Associate Director, Strategy & Analytics at Fitch Ratings, has built a global career focused on strategic decision-making, relationship-building and diverse projects. In this alumni spotlight, Georgie reflects on the experiences that have shaped her career, the lessons she has learned and her advice for graduates building their own careers.

Looking back, what attracted you to study International Business at the University of Liverpool and what do you remember most about your time at ULMS?

I wanted to study International Business to analyse contemporary business challenges through a global lens. I graduated with an awareness of the impacts of corporate behaviour and how business is conducted differently across regions/countries due to differences in market needs as well as in social, economic, and political systems.

At ULMS, I remember being encouraged to think about the bigger picture. For example, geopolitics, capitalist systems more broadly, and responsible leadership in complex and rapidly changing environments.

You completed a Year in Industry at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. How did that experience shape your career ambitions and influence the skills you developed?

I’m very grateful for my placement year with Mercedes-Benz. I learnt a lot about organisational behaviour, internal communications, and how to manage change. It also introduced me to operational efficiency and customer experience. During any Year In Industry, it’s valuable to observe and shadow. By seeing strong leadership qualities and performance management in different scenarios, I picked up best practices I knew one day I would want to exhibit myself.

After graduating, you began your career at IHS Markit (now S&P Global). What were some of the biggest challenges and opportunities you encountered when starting your career?

A lot of challenges stemmed from transitioning from academics to the real corporate world. For example, using new analytical techniques such as financial modelling and business cases, and being a clear and compelling ‘storyteller’ through PowerPoint decks and executive summaries.

However, there were even more exciting opportunities, including using my initiative to identify how I could make an impact, learning from my mistakes, and figuring out what I enjoy and where my skills gaps are.

You’re now an Associate Director in Strategy & Analytics at Fitch Ratings. What does your role involve and what do you enjoy most about working in strategy?

My current role predominately involves researching and analysing the external environment including competitors and credit market dynamics alongside internal operations, to deliver timely, relevant, well-informed insights that support the strategic decision-making of senior management.

Since the beginning of my career I have enjoyed working in strategy because it is extremely varied and has a meaningful and wide impact on the organisation. I love connecting the dots and executing projects across different functions and specialisms (e.g. M&A, product, sales, organisational).

You have worked with stakeholders and senior leaders across different functions and countries. How have you developed your confidence in communicating with people at different levels?

A few practical tips I use to build confidence in communicating with senior stakeholders, in particular, include:

• Observe how others in your organisation communicate well with senior leaders
• Learn what it is important to them and what their priorities are
• Listen to senior leaders in informal interviews such as fireside chats roundtables, panels
• Practice speaking up in meetings
• Seek mentorship and feedback

Looking back on your career so far, is there a particular project or achievement that you are especially proud of and what made it meaningful to you?

I’m proud that I was honest with myself about my longer-term goals and how I could achieve them – even if that meant taking risks. I recently successfully pivoted into the financial services industry and entered in a more senior role. I was confident in my reasoning for the move and how my skillset and experience would transfer. Thanks to all the support and collaboration at my current company, I’ve been able to bring myself up-to-speed about a new industry and market in a relatively short space of time.

What are your career ambitions for the next few years and what would you like to explore next?

I aim to continue being a generalist and have variety in my work. I am intentionally pursuing a path in which I’m positioned at the intersection of strategy and operations, and where I can manage stakeholders, influence change, and become a trusted thought-partner to executive leadership.

Finally, what advice would you give to graduates who are starting their careers and want to build a career in strategy, consulting or business?

Be curious

Be curious all throughout your career and make the most out of the present. Asking questions is not only about improving your own knowledge and understanding, but also about sparking and developing ideas in others.

Embrace ambiguity and uncertainty

Become comfortable with uncertain environments. For example, where you have to figure out how to carry out a task along the way, where you have to reconcile conflicting stakeholder perspectives, or where you have to use assumptions to deal with incomplete information. In these environments, you also end up learning the most.

Be open-minded

Regularly reflect and check in with yourself personally and professionally – your priorities and preferences may change at different stages of your life. Advocate for what you want. It’s also important to be open-minded in the workplace; being able to adapt when there’s changes (inevitably) to priorities, stakeholder needs, deadlines, or workload.