Alice Al Tayar on her switch to consulting and first year at ACE + Company

One year ago, Alice Al Tayar crossed to the world of management consulting. We sat down with Alice to find out more about her move and experiences, and how life at ACE + Company is providing her the challenges and entrepreneurial culture she was keen to find.

Originally from Lebanon, Alice Al Tayar graduated from Beirut’s Lebanese University in 2012, with a master’s degree in finance and financial institutions. After spending seven years in the insurance sector in the Lebanese capital, Alice relocated to Holland six years ago.

During her time with MS Amlin Insurance, Alice first came across ACE + Company, a consulting firm that specialises in regulatory change within the financial services sector. After more than a decade in insurance, it was a discovery which would eventually change her career-course completely.

“What drew me to ACE + Company was the opportunity to step outside of a single organisation and gain a much broader perspective on the financial sector. In industry, you become deeply familiar with one way of working, but in consulting, you’re constantly exposed to different challenges, ways of thinking, and regulatory approaches. That variety keeps the work dynamic and pushes me to keep learning and refining my expertise.”

Proactive change

Another point of attraction for Alice was the company’s strong track record in tech-driven change. In particular, the consulting firm presented the opportunity to implement change not just reactively, but also proactively.

“I was already interested in how tech can be embedded in financial services. As a consultant, that is different, because you don’t only work on regulatory change but also on how technology and AI can make compliance more effective and forward-thinking,” Alice says.

This determination to be “forward-thinking” is one reason why Alice feels she gelled with her new employer immediately. Citing her multicultural background as a force which has shaped the way she analyses problems, she notes that risk, regulation, and governance can be approached differently across cultures.

“In some regions, compliance is seen as a rigid requirement, while in the EU, it’s more principle-based with rule-based elements in key areas, leaving room for interpretation and tailoring of compliance approaches. I find that this diversity in my background helps me navigate discussions where stakeholders might have differing assumptions about how things ‘should’ work.”

At ACE, this perspective is particularly valuable in adapting strategies to different organisational mindsets. Whether it’s working with clients who take a highly formal, structured approach or those who prefer a more agile, pragmatic one, she finds she is able to adjust how she presents ideas to resonate with their way of thinking.

Workplace culture

Alice says that at ACE + Company, this kind of diversity of thought “isn’t just encouraged, it’s actively leveraged to build stronger, more adaptable solutions”. She finds that dynamic “both challenging and rewarding” – and believes it may have contributed to one of the firm’s defining achievements since her arrival.

Shortly after Alice joined, the Dutch consultancy firm was named among the nation’s top workplaces (winning the Great Place To Work award). When asked which part of the firm’s award-winning culture has impressed her the most, she pointed to the amount of “trust and ownership” each employee is given.

“At ACE + Company, you’re encouraged to contribute from day one, whether that’s shaping internal initiatives, driving client projects, or expanding our collective knowledge. And people here support each other. They challenge ideas constructively, and share their expertise freely. It was refreshing to step into a place where collaboration is the default way of working. That’s what makes ACE a great place to work; it’s not just a workplace, it’s a team that pushes you to grow.”

Amid this supportive atmosphere, the firm constantly pushes its staff to think beyond their grade or job title. “Over here, development goes much further than training courses and hands-on experience, the firm’s leadership team encourages everyone to accelerate their growth through entrepreneurial activities. “If you have an idea, you pitch it. If they love it, you run with it.”

“There’s no bureaucracy, no blockers, just the space and trust to make things happen. At the same time, you’re given opportunities to take ownership, shape initiatives, and develop as a leader in a way that isn’t always possible in larger, more hierarchical organisations. In my experience, this combination of autonomy, support, and leadership development makes ACE + Company an exceptional place to grow.”

Since joining the firm, Alice has seen all this first-hand, via a diverse mix of projects and initiatives. Primarily focused on AI governance and tech solutions in the regulatory change process, she has co led the Responsible AI initiative, an offering which helps financial institutions prepare for the EU AI Act and embed artificial intelligence into their operations in an ethical and responsible manner.

Alongside this, Alice has been involved in the development of RegTech solutions, particularly in policy management and regulatory change, ensuring that financial institutions can streamline regulatory compliance in a structured way.

Working with people from different domains, including consultants, governance expert and tech specialists, has been a key part of this. “I find it especially interesting to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, as we translate regulatory challenges into practical solutions that can be scaled across organisations.”

First year

Looking back on her successful first year with ACE + Company, Alice notes that switching from industry to consulting has “definitely” lived up to her expectations. Offering a wide range of regulatory and strategic topics, ACE + Company has helped her broaden and deepen her knowledge of the financial services industry, work on challenging projects, and develop professionally as well as personally.

“From day one, I felt like part of the family, and that’s exactly how ACE + Company operates. Coming from a much larger organisation, I was used to structured teams and a more segmented environment. Here, it’s different. You work closely with experienced colleagues and partners with decades of experience, and you learn from them every day. The exposure, impact and steep learning curve is something that has made my first year unique!”