MEDIA MOVES: Protocol, Aisha Counts

Previous Role: Reporting Fellow, Protocol

New Role: Enterprise Tech Reporter, Protocol

AC: From business to journalism, the work is entirely different. In management consulting you focus on strategy, processes and working on the actual mechanics of making businesses run better. Obviously in journalism you seek to understand those mechanics, but you aren’t hands-on. From the Protocol fellowship to my role as the new enterprise SaaS reporter, it’s just a more exclusive focus on enterprise tech.

AC: In management consulting you learn exactly what challenges large enterprises are facing, and which software they use, which is tremendously valuable. It also gives you an insight into how businesses actually work at the granular level, how and why decisions get made, what drives strategy and how people operate. Then there’s the ability to talk to executives, and defend your work and recommendations to a smart, critical audience, which is exactly what we do in journalism.

AC: I joined Protocol as a Reporting Fellow, coming from a few years as a management consultant for Ernst & Young. I wanted to transition from business to journalism due to an interest in storytelling, and exploring the high-level trends and societal impacts of the technology business. That being said, I still wanted to lean on and utilize my understanding of business––having advised and consulted dozens of enterprises, including some of the largest companies in the world. Protocol was the perfect fit for those ambitions, viewing technology as a power center, and covering the business of technology for its own sake.

Qwoted is committed to supporting the media by speaking to and highlighting journalists in their exploration of various roles. What changes are ahead? What learnings do you expect to be helpful in this new role?