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Alumni Interview : Tomas Houska, Senior Vice President at AlixPartners in London

Alumni experience

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21/04/2020

Désolé, ce contenu n'est pas disponible en Français

This interview was published and carried out by the TSEconomist.


1. What is your position today?


I  currently  work  in  the  London  office  of  AlixPartners.  We  are  a  large  management  and  restructuring  consulting  firm  with  a  strong  economic  consulting  practice.  Our  economics  team  focuses   on   antitrust   and   competition   consulting.   I’ve   been   at  AlixPartners  for  over  a  year  and  in  that  time  (among  other  things)   assisted   several   telecoms   companies   with   economic   analysis  required  by  sector  regulators,  supported  clients  during  cartel  damages  claims,  and  provided  economic  assessment  of  dominant  firms’  behaviour.  I  was  also  temporarily  seconded  to  one of UK’s mobile operators and helped their economics team with issues ranging from spectrum auctions to net neutrality. As you  can  see,  my  work  is  very  diverse.  Every  case  I  work  on  requires a different instrument from the economics toolbox, which I find very enjoyable and intellectually stimulating.


2.  What  was  your  path  from  graduation  to  your  current  position? What would you say were the key elements that helped you make your choice? 


I am not a regular TSE alumnus and my career path was slightly different from what is standard at TSE. I did my master’s degree in  economics  at  home  in  the  Czech  Republic.  During  my  master’s degree, I worked as an intern in the Chief Economist team of the Czech competition authority (Office for the protection of competition).  I  stayed  there  for  three  years  after  graduating  on  a full-time basis - it was a great place to learn how competition policy  works  in  practice.  I  later  enrolled  in  a  PhD  program  to  further improve my economics. As part of my PhD, I spent two years  at  TSE  as  a  visiting  researcher.  After  finishing  my  PhD,  I  worked for two years at Ofcom (the UK telecoms regulator) and then  moved  to  AlixPartners.  Many  of  my  career  choices  have  been  influenced  by  inspiring  people  I  met  along  the  way,  who  have kept me excited about economics and provided invaluable career advice. When making important career choices, I still find it  helpful  talking  to  more  experienced  and  senior  people,  who  often have slightly different perspective on things. 


3. Could you tell us about your time at TSE and what you learned here? 


TSE has been instrumental to my doctoral research. Because of TSE’s  emphasis  on  industrial  organisation,  I  spent  two  years  in  what was undoubtedly for me an intellectually very stimulating environment. I used the ample opportunities offered by TSE to improve  my  economics  and  met  many  great  researchers  who  I  discussed  my  research  with.  Big  thanks  go  to  Marc  Ivaldi,  who  was my adviser during my time at TSE. In the two years I spent at TSE, I worked hard but gained a lot back. 

The strong economic knowledge  acquired  at  TSE  has  given  me  confidence  when  addressing  new  economic  questions  at  work  or  professionally  debating other economic consultants. 



4. What advice would you like to give to students at TSE?


There are two things I would highlight. Firstly, people you work with will have an immense impact on your career. When choosing  a  job,  don’t  forget  to  consider  this  element.  Having  a  line  manager you can develop a good relationship with and someone who  will  support  your  career  will  speed  up  your  professional  progress  more  than  needlessly  working  crazy  hours.  Secondly,  don’t be afraid to use the TSE alumni network. It is a great and valuable  resource. TSE alumni understand well the quality of TSE students and are often “TSE champions” within their firms. It might not give you an explicit advantage during the recruitment process, but it will certainly open many doors for you.


Would you like to do an interview and tell us your experience ? Feel free to contact us at alumni-tse@tse-fr.eu

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