At Corios, we know that our talented team members are the fuel that propels our organization and the cornerstone to our success – so who better to tell the Corios story? Get to know more about the people behind the numbers in our blog segment, “Team Stories.”
Competence and collaboration: for Eric Flora, these two elements are key to feeling fulfilled at work. Fortunately, in his role as Risk Management Director and Senior Consultant, Eric experiences these tenets daily.
“The main thing I would say about the culture is that it’s very collaborative. For me, that’s the focus of it,” says Eric. “The team is a pack of go-getters – I saw that our very first team retreat, and I still feel that way. Everybody is really good at what they do, so we have all these valuable resources around us.”
“The team is a pack of go-getters. Everybody is really good at what they do, so we have all these valuable resources around us.”
A new frontier
Before coming to Corios, Eric contributed his expertise to diverse industries, including the healthcare and banking arenas. He became passionate about finding the story behind numbers – at GE Healthcare, he distilled data for millions of patients to help physicians improve services, and at JP Morgan Chase, he worked as a developer for the analytics environment.
However, while Eric appreciated the opportunity to refine his analytics skills, he found himself desiring a more fulfilling workplace.
“One reason I was drawn to Corios was that I wanted to get back to working for small companies,” says Eric. “In other jobs I had previously, I didn’t feel like I had a lot of peers around me who were in similar roles. Plus, in my previous roles I was working crazy hours – I wanted a better work-life balance”
Once he came across Corios, Eric suspected that it could encompass all that he was looking for.
“I knew I would be working with a really smart team, and it would be more of an environment where everybody did what I did, instead of my role being on an island. It was easy to choose Corios.”
“I knew I would be working with a really smart team … it was easy to choose Corios.”
Valued from the beginning
Eric was hired on as a Consultant in 2013, and noticed Corios’ difference right away.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I ramped up at Corios,” Eric says. “I was immediately working with clients and contributing usefully to the work the very first day I started.”
Along with this quick ramp-up, Eric was also impressed by his team’s universal thirst for learning.
“I think my colleagues are a lot like me: we have an aspiration to acquire knowledge and to be able to apply it,” says Eric. “That’s very common at Corios. Whenever I mention something new – whether it’s work related or not – everybody is interested and engaged in learning the concept.”
Beyond the day-to-day life in the office, Corios shows dedication to employees on a deeper level – which is something Eric holds in high regard.
“Retreats we’ve taken to the coast and near Hood River really stuck with me. At the retreat, we went through a ‘painted picture’ activity, where we write where we want to be personally and professionally in the next few years. It was really fun – I like that proactive thinking. And to actually do that formally as part of my job is rewarding for me.”
“I was working with clients and contributing usefully to the work the very first day I started.”
Cohesive team = collective knowledge
Those working in management analytics consulting are constantly tasked with finding solutions to challenging business problems – but as Eric discovered at Corios, a skilled team can be your best ally.
“The strongest part of our collaboration is sharing what we know – and we actually use it. If we find a useful strategy or tool, we tend to spread it to the rest of the group. I think that really helps each person; everybody benefits from the other person’s experience.”
This collective knowledge comes in handy when faced with a particularly difficult problem.
“If you want to bounce ideas off of someone, there’s probably somebody in the company who knows what you’re doing and can help,” says Eric. “Things at Corios are done logically. If you can explain your thinking to other people, you can always get things figured out.”
“The strongest part of our collaboration is sharing what we know. Everybody benefits from the other person’s experience.”
setting corios and our clients up for success
As the director of Corios’ risk management business unit, Eric’s role is to design and implement the policies and procedures we use to identify, analyze, and mitigate risks. He leverages his experience working in large companies in regulated industries to help Corios to operate with the same rigor as enterprise class businesses.
Eric served as a key player in helping Corios achieve Type 2 SOC 2 certification in 2015. This certification is globally recognized as one of the strictest security measures for service providers, and Corios passed the audit without any exceptions – a rare achievement for a company of Corios’ size.
An eye for opportunities
In his three years at Corios, Eric has witnessed the value of continuous improvement. What’s his advice for future Corios employees?
“To thrive here, you need a willingness to constantly improve. People at Corios are always trying to enhance processes – even with what is working pretty well already. I think you have to have that as an intrinsic motivation to be successful.”
This may be a big task, but in the end, Corios’ encouragement for growth gives Eric confidence.
“The element I like best about Corios is that my work challenges me. You get to use the skills you have, and you can stretch them.”
“The element I like best about Corios is that my work challenges me. You get to use the skills you have, and you can stretch them.”
Interested in learning more about the Corios culture, or think you might be a good fit for our team? Check out our Careers Page.
