Career summary

Miran Fernando is a professional making waves in the realm of management consulting. Holding a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Monash University, Miran's journey into the corporate world began as a vacation clerk at MinterEllison in 2015. Building on this foundation, Miran then completed two more seasonal clerkships at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and Russell Kennedy Lawyers in 2016.

With a flair for analytical thinking, Miran embarked on a transformative trajectory at Accenture, where he was promoted from Analyst to Senior Analyst in 2018. His strategic insight and problem-solving prowess have been further sharpened during his time working as a Consultant at Social Ventures Australia.

Miran's exceptional drive and commitment to his craft are evident not only in his professional journey but also in his advocacy for breaking barriers and pushing boundaries. A true trailblazer, Miran's passion for sharing insights has led him to engage in international speaking engagements and contribute to thought leadership within the consulting landscape.

Career pathway

2022 – present – Consultant, Social Ventures Australia
2020 – 2022 – Analyst, Social Ventures Australia
2018 – 2020 – Senior Analyst, Accenture
2017 – 2018 – Analyst, Accenture
2016 – Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Monash University
2016 – Seasonal Clerk, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
2016 – Seasonal Clerk, Russell Kennedy Lawyers
2015 – Vacation Clerk, MinterEllison

Why did you choose to study a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Laws at Monash?

I had my eyes set on the Arts/Law degree at Monash from around Year 10. Towards the end of high school, I gravitated towards humanities subjects. In particular, I loved studying English, history and psychology. The Bachelor of Arts programme at Monash excited me, offering a variety of interesting disciplines to choose from. I was very confident with that choice. As for the law side, I thought it would be a good double degree option that would potentially open up a lot of career opportunities, either within the law, with something social justice related, or other broader career opportunities in a variety of areas. It seemed like a perfect double degree for somebody who is very humanities-oriented.

After going to open days and speaking to students, the Monash campus seemed to have a really friendly vibe and it seemed like it was a fantastic place to study. So it was my first choice back then and I never really wavered from that.

How did Monash help you develop your passions and guide you on your career path?

Firstly, Monash enabled me to choose a wide variety of subjects which catered to my interests. In my Arts degree, I was able to explore a variety of subjects from history, psychology and philosophy. In my law degree, in addition to the standard Priestley 11 subjects, I also had exposure to a wide variety of electives. For example, I was able to pursue my interest in public law by studying advanced constitutional law and doing a thesis in administrative law. Monash also enabled me to choose units that aligned with my interest in social change, such as a history subject on the history of rebellion and protest.

Secondly, beyond academics, Monash’s extracurricular activities helped me to find what I was interested in. For example, through my law degree, I volunteered at a community legal centre, the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service (now Monash Law Clinics), and was able to support people with family law problems under the supervision of a solicitor. This helped further develop my interest in social impact work. I also took part in the Access Monash Ambassador program, which enabled me to mentor high school students, which I really enjoyed. This year I volunteered as a mentor to a high school student through the Smith Family, so mentoring has been an interest that I have continued, having enjoyed doing it at Monash.

Lastly, I’m grateful for the friendships I made at Monash. I was able to meet a lot of like-minded people at university, some of whom I'm still very good friends with today.

What other opportunities for real-world experience did Monash provide you with?

One that comes to mind is travelling to New York as part of the Model United Nations in 2014, which was organised through the Monash International Affairs Society. It was a large student conference, full of students from around the world from a wide variety of countries and universities. In a mock UN format, we represented a country to discuss an issue. It was a fantastic experience. It improved my skills in verbal communication, diplomacy and negotiation, and enabled me to explore my interests in international affairs.

Tell us about your current role as a Consultant for Social Ventures Australia. How do your studies impact this role?

Social Ventures Australia is a non-profit organisation focused on alleviating disadvantage in Australia. I work as part of the Consulting team, primarily focusing on supporting clients with strategy and outcomes management projects. Strategy projects can be anything from helping to develop an organisational strategy, undertaking a strategic review of a service or undertaking research and analysis to solve a specific business problem, such as what services an organisation should offer or what cohorts it should support. Outcomes management projects are focused on supporting clients to understand whether they’re achieving their intended impact. We do this through developing theories of change and outcomes frameworks, and undertaking program evaluations.

In terms of how the double degree helps, I think studying Arts and Law really helped me to develop my skills in all things communication, argumentation and critical thinking. My degrees really helped me become an even more intellectually curious person, which is something I really need in my job. We are constantly learning about new organisations and new industries, and doing lots of research and analysis. So being intellectually curious is necessary for the job.

Please tell us more about your career journey so far.

At the beginning of my degree, I was pretty open to a variety of career opportunities. I was considering careers such as lawyer, psychologist, diplomat, or even journalist. In my penultimate year, I was pretty keen to apply to seasonal clerkships at law firms to get a sense of what a legal career could entail, to explore areas of interest to me such as employment law and administrative law, and to get some internship experience. I was lucky to receive offers to complete seasonal clerkships at three very different law firms; one was a big commercial law firm, one was a medium-sized firm focused on working with government clients, and then one was focused on plaintiff law and social justice. I also applied for some internships at consulting firms, but I didn't get any of those.

I enjoyed all three clerkships, and after completing them thought that I could enjoy working as a lawyer after university, but I was also still keen to explore other opportunities. I then applied for a variety of graduate jobs, including at law firms, consulting firms and government agencies. I ended up receiving an offer from Accenture in Sydney.

So, I ended up moving up to Sydney and joined Accenture in their Government and Health team, which is focused on providing consulting services to federal and state government departments. I had a great time in Sydney and made a lot of really good friends. Accenture was a fun place to work as a graduate and it enabled me to explore different types of work. After two and a half years working there, I was keen to explore other opportunities. I had heard about Social Ventures Australia so went on their website and found that they were hiring in Melbourne. I applied and, after several interviews, received a job offer which I accepted, moving back to Melbourne.

What extracurricular activities did you take part in at Monash?

I was a member of the Monash Association of Debaters for the first three years of my degree. As part of that association, I participated in the Easters competition, which is the national competition held each year focused on supporting new debaters. I also participated in a few other competitions around Australia. I really enjoyed doing it on a Monday night and going to a few competitions locally was a lot of fun.

I was also a member of Impetus Consulting Group in my second year of university. That involved working with a group of other university students on a small consulting project for a not-for-profit client, which was a great introduction to consulting. I actually think it helped me get the graduate role at Accenture. I also volunteered at the Family Law Assistance Program at the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service (now Monash Law Clinics) which was a fantastic way to get some practical legal experience while studying.

Then, in my final year, I was a member of the Monash Fencing Society. I had always wanted to try it, so I did in my second last semester at Monash, which was great fun.

Could you tell us how you received the Monash Community Leaders Scholarship and the role you played as the Access Monash Ambassador?

I received the Monash Community Leadership Scholarship in 2014 and 2015 through my role as an Access Monash Ambassador.

The role involved mentoring high school students from schools in the southeast of Melbourne that were considered to be underrepresented at university by Monash at the time. I conducted a series of mentoring sessions with students each year. The sessions focused on things like goal setting and helping students to develop a stronger understanding of the options available to them after high school. I really enjoyed getting to know the kids and providing them with some advice and support. It was definitely one of the highlights from my time at Monash.

In addition, as part of the role I participated in various outreach activities for the university, such as volunteering for events that Monash ran with schools.

Would you recommend the Arts degree?

Yes. I think it's a great degree to do if you are interested in the humanities. You can explore a wide variety of intellectual pursuits which can make the university experience highly enjoyable and which can help guide future personal and professional interests.

Since leaving Monash, my Arts degree has certainly come in handy. For example, in job interviews, employers have been interested to learn what I studied in my arts degree. Furthermore, the degree can foster an intellectually curious mindset and build your skills in developing both oral and written arguments, which are really useful in a variety of jobs. Finally, and most importantly, I think studying Arts can make you a more interesting, thoughtful and well-rounded person, which is what the university experience is all about.