joined a pitch uninvited - have I messed up?

My team had a big pitch coming up for a huge potential client so was very important (let’s call this project X). At my firm only VPs and above are allowed to attend pitches, never an analyst or associate (we don’t even include analysts / associates in the team bio slides only VPs and above get to have their bio in there).

Anyways I was really busy one day and didn’t really have time to think and just got a calendar notification saying a meeting for project X was about to start. I just naturally joined thinking it was internal to realise it was the actual formal pitch and everyone is in very smart attire about to start and I’ve just joined as a junior associate in a jumper.

I realised and was like f*** so was about to quickly dial off and hope no one noticed but then I thought that might look very bad so I panicked and just turned my camera off (hoping no one would notice) but then the client said ‘who’s the person that’s joined with their camera off’ so I had to turn it back on and wave and introduce myself and I could see my MDs face looking extremely angry that I’ve joined and I can tell he was thinking ‘why the f*** is he here’. Half way through the pitch I left (not sure if this was the right decision as this probably made it worse) 

Im not sure what to do now my MD hasn’t spoken to me since and I don’t know whether to send an email apologising to him or if this will just add more attention to this and make it more worse than it is? Or if it’s best to just act as if I didn’t do anything wrong and forget about it

3 Comments
 

It’s clear that you’re ahead of your time.

Look, these things happen. As long as you learned from it, then no worries moving forward. Next time though, don’t drop off the call. See it through and soak in that knowledge. 

Definitely send that note to your MD apologizing and providing some context. If you have the chance for a face-to-face, I’d do it formally. That’s just my fitty cents.

 
Most Helpful

Honestly, leave your job. Not because you did anything wrong, but because any firm that doesn't let juniors join pitches is a shitty firm.

 

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