Claire Warnes, 37, a senior manager in KPMG’s government advisory practice, is loathe to describe herself as a sector shifter.

Warnes, who works with central government departments and agencies on change and transformation projects in a range of sectors, education, healthcare, and criminal justice, started her career in higher education.

After studying European politics and French at Cardiff University she worked in the public sector for eight years – first at the European Commission, then at the University of Wales in Newport and finally at the Higher Education Funding Council for England. She then moved to KPMG to work as a higher education specialist. “For me this wasn’t a leap, I don’t feel like a sector shifter,” she says. “I do consulting in the public sector which is where I started and developed my career. I still feel I am a useful and constructive part of the public sector.”

Warnes says that she chose to move to KPMG six years ago because “I wanted to work somewhere with a strong commitment to the public sector. I wanted to choose an organisation that is committed to the public sector and sees itself as having a role to play in developing public policy.”

All very admirable. But surely she finds the swanky City offices plusher and the canteen swisher than Whitehall? “No, I mostly work off-site in central government departments and government agencies.”

She says there hasn’t been a big shift in culture for her because she works only with public sector clients and still feels very much that she is working for the public sector. What is more, she is able to put skills gained in the public sector to good use in her private sector role. “I think that many skills are the same [across the sectors], for instance, project management, change management and leading and developing a team,” she says.

“The key difference, for me, has been the commercial focus around working, but I have found that to be very motivating. It makes for a dynamic work environment.”

Warnes believes that her years in the public sector help her to understand and empathise with clients. “I understand the political complexity because I have been there and I have a sensitivity to the speed at which things can happen and the frustrations,” she says.

“For me it [moving from the public to private sector] has been a wholly positive experience and fits with my value set. I feel able to pursue a high-energy career while still informing public policy.”

And, finally, there is the oodles of cash they throw at you in the private sector. Wrong again. Warnes says: “There is not a great deal of difference. I think that is a misconception.”

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