- Name: Derrick Lichti
- Age: 34
- Current location: Nairobi, Kenya
- Home town: Shakespeare, Canada
- Education: Bachelor of Applied Sciences - Option in Management Sciences; Masters of Business Analytics and Big Data, Madrid (in progress).
- Current position: Independent Consultant, CPCS Transcom
- Organization description: CPCS Transcom Limited is an award-winning international infrastructure development firm specialising in private sector participation in transport, energy, and urban development sectors.
- Bio: Derrick Lichti is an international management consultant with a specific focus on transport, energy, information communications technology, and public-private partnerships. Trained as a Systems Design Engineer in Canada, he completed several internships ranging from IT security to ERP software development. Originally working as a software development intern at CPCS, a Canadian-based consultancy, he soon emerged as a top-tier consultant. He was with CPCS for just over 12 years leaving his post as the Vice-President of East Africa, the largest division in the firm. During his professional career, he has worked in over twenty countries and has experience in North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In total, he has completed 45 projects internationally.
- Countries I've worked in: Canada, USA, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Tanzania, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Philippines, Burundi, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia
- Sector / subsectors: International Business, Business Services
- Areas of expertise: Public-Private Partnerships, Information Communication Technology, Project Finance, Rail, Energy, Ports, Roads, Urban Transport
- Country: Kenya
- Region: Africa
- Sector: Business
- Degree subject: Business & commerce, Sciences, Statistics
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Tell us about yourself and your role at CPCS Transcom.
Derrick started his career an IT intern in Ottawa, and moved up to be Vice President of CPCS Transcom's largest business region, East Africa.
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Tell us about a typical day or week in your working life.
Derrick uses Nairobi as his home base to jet set between client meetings in Tanzania and Uganda.
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Can you talk about one problem you solved for a client, to help us understand your work?
Derrick talks about his role on an unprecedented rail project in Tanzania.
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Tell us about your career trajectory, and the skills and experiences that helped you carve out an international career.
Derrick talks about how he moved from "the IT guy in the corner" to an international front-line consultant.
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Did you have international experience before joining this company?
Derrick talks about his "whoa" moment on his first trip to West Africa.
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What are some of the challenges you have faced working internationally?
The hardest part about working as an international consultant is sometimes having to make assumptions.
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What have enjoyed most about working and living internationally?
Derrick talks about the unexpected benefits of an international career.
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What entry points do you see in international business consulting?
Derrick shares his top tips for recent graduates looking to break into international work.
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How is the business services and consulting landscape developing? Do you see more companies like yours emerging?
Big data is the next big thing in the international consulting industry.
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What sort of educational credentials are required to work in your field?
In the consulting world, degrees matter.
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Do you have any practical advice for students and recent grads interested in your field?
There is no substitute for on the ground experience!
