Cycling away from comfort zones

Meet Elizabeth Harkness

Looking for a place that fuels her ambition to make a difference, Elizabeth moved from the UK to Dubai to join PwC Middle East where she was able to step out of her comfort zone, and lead a more balanced life with her new found passion for cycling.  

Tell us more about yourself

I moved to Dubai from the UK in 2019, where I previously worked for another Big Four company. I have a background in technology and change, and I recently moved from Tax and Legal Services to the Deals practice to help drive their transformation agenda. Outside of work, I love my outdoor pursuits, studying for further education and reading as many books as I can - I usually get through about 70 books in a year!

Moving to Dubai was a process that took around six months - from first taking the decision to make the move to securing a new role with PwC Middle East. I always wanted to live and work overseas - With Dubai’s economy and technological advancements and PwC Middle East’s  endless opportunities, it was the perfect match. It wasn’t easy to leave all of my family and friends behind, but it has created more opportunities and opened many doors that I'm so grateful and thankful for! 

What do you like about working with PwC Middle East?

I couldn’t ask for a better team and one of the best things about working at PwC Middle East is the people - there is a work together culture here and you never feel like you are on your own. I always feel supported, and when times get tough or work pressures can be demanding, your team is right there beside you. 

A piece of career advice that I always follow is to be completely yourself - the culture at the firm supports this and encourages you to be your authentic self at work. We like to keep connected as a team and there’s lots of opportunities for you to get to know people - whether that is the different work events, lunch breaks or through joining the different clubs made up of colleagues from across the firm. 

What is the PwC Adventure Club? How has it shaped your life?

I have always loved the outdoors and I used to run a hiking club in my spare time back in the UK. You'll always find me climbing mountains or camping - doing anything that involves the great outdoors and nature. 

The first thing that caught my attention was the PwC Adventure Club - a club made up of like minded colleagues who are always up for a new adventure. What I love most about the club is that it plays a big part in wellbeing and caters to all kinds of outdoor pursuits - from horseback riding, to indoor skiing, to mountain climbing in Oman -  there really is something for everyone. It was a way for me to get out of the city, start exploring other parts of the UAE, build relationships with colleagues from other parts of the firm and meet people that I wouldn’t otherwise interact with. 

Out here I have discovered my love for cycling as there are so many beautiful rides you can do by bike (and it’s an easier sport to do in the heat!). From this new found love for cycling, as a member of the club, I helped organise this year’s edition of the PwC Everesting Challenge. 

Can you tell us more about the Everesting challenge?

It’s a team cycling challenge to ride 12 times up and down Jebel Jais mountain, to gain the equivalent elevation of Mt Everest (9,000m). Eight of our colleagues and I decided to get into this challenge to push our limits further and reach newer heights. 

This was a really tough pursuit which required, not only a lot of training, but also mental commitment - staying awake for over 24 hours and forcing yourself to keep going until you got there. I am not the fittest or the fastest cyclist, so this was a case of mind over matter! I hope it can inspire others to push their physical limits to reach levels they didn't realise they were capable of. At the beginning of last year, I didn’t even own a bike, so it will hopefully show that anything can be possible if you put your mind and heart into it.