Meet Flore, analyst in the Antitrust & Competition Economics Practice

A little bit about me: I enjoy traveling, yoga, and the outdoors! I started as an analyst in the Competition & Antitrust Economics Practice in Boston last year, in April 2015. Prior to CRA, I grew up in Paris, France and completed a liberal arts education at Swarthmore College. I came into school an undecided major with a curiosity for a diverse range of subjects from Chemistry to Chinese, and developed a strong interest for Economics, Statistics, and Computer Science. Problem solving and applying quantitative analysis to come to a solution is something I love and was one of the reasons economic consulting was attractive to me.
CRA was particularly appealing for its stimulating environment. During the interview process, the people were intellectually curious, smart, and easy to connect with, which made me want to be a part of their team. Both junior and senior staff took the time to talk with me about the analyst experience. From my discussions, I knew I would be able to focus on developing technical and programming skills, while working on a team and making an impact on important merger cases analyzing antitrust concerns. So far, I have worked on cases in a wide range of industries and geographic markets, with a focus on health care in the United States.
The importance of training development at CRA was another big part of my decision to join the firm. There are always opportunities to learn new skills in both formal and informal trainings. When I first joined CRA, I was prepared for work by attending the Research and Analysis Core Program, a weeklong orientation for new analysts focused on hard-core technical skills along with consulting skills and networking. I am also constantly gaining knowledge from my colleagues. They can always be counted upon to help me brainstorm ways to approach new analysis or to share Excel shortcuts in order to improve efficiency. There is also a strong sense of community amongst the junior staff which makes for a supportive and friendly atmosphere. My morning ritual always incorporates getting coffee with other Competition & Antitrust Economics analysts which is a great start to my day!