In his second book “The Will to Lead,” Marvin Bower, our managing partner from 1950 to 1967, persuaded senior firm leaders to adopt a program that would shape future business leaders and let them take ownership over their development and career paths. Decades after the book was published, we remain committed to attracting, developing, exciting, and retaining exceptional people by giving them opportunities to drive change that matters with the best teams.
While many colleagues have long careers here, others choose to pursue other opportunities, or to found their own businesses. We’re proud of our more than 40,000 alumni who have gone on to do amazing things as part of other organizations. Here are a few thoughts alumni shared about how their time here has benefitted them in their post-McKinsey roles.
Mentorship and sponsorship
These two elements are deeply rooted in our culture and McKinsey people naturally mentor and sponsor each other.
Priti Joshi, vice president of strategy and analytics at social networking app Bumble, recently told Indian publication YourStory, “I learned a lot during the more than seven years I spent at McKinsey, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I worked closely with inspirational clients, sponsors and mentors – many of them women – who encouraged me to take risks and learn from them.”
Mentors and investors have played a huge role in shaping the career of Rohini Dey, Ph.D., the owner and founder of Vermilion restaurants. She appreciates the great support she received at the firm through these relationships: “I don’t think I would have had the skills or access to learn an unknown industry very quickly, to evaluate its economic and financial viability, or to raise funds, and execute my concept. My sponsors and investors at McKinsey were a huge source of support to me."
Fred Swaniker, founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group (and a 2019 TIME 100 honoree), found the relationships he built at McKinsey “absolutely instrumental” in launching his organization. “Two of my co-founders were my previous managers at McKinsey,” he explains. “They ended up being my earliest investors, backing me and believing in my vision because they saw the quality and execution of the work I did at McKinsey."
Continuous learning
No single day here is the same. Working across different sectors and industries catalyzes growth and pushes you to be at your best by working hand in hand with a diverse, gifted cohort.
Travis Katz, founder and former CEO of Trip.com, says he still relies on the training he received at McKinsey. “One powerful thing I learned at McKinsey is the ability to synthesize complex ideas and communicate them in ways that are simple and easy to understand”, he says.
Anshulika Dubey left the firm and joined another McKinsey alumna, Priyanka Agarwal, to launch Wishberry.in. She says the training she received on problem-solving, communication techniques and analytical thinking helped her succeed as an entrepreneur: “If I hadn’t had this rigorous and formative training, I can’t imagine how I would’ve scaled my business efficiently or effectively.”
Rohini Dey, Ph.D., adds, “I strongly believe a McKinsey stint should be mandatory for girls, even if they want to be poets, pianists or physicians. I want my daughters to get the confidence, fearlessness, work ethic and hard-core problem-solving skills McKinsey gave me. These are invaluable life lessons that carry me even today."
Exposure
Our consultants work with senior leadership at clients on challenging issues. Gopi Kallayil, chief evangelist, Brand Marketing at Google, says, “At McKinsey, you are in an extremely privileged position. You get to see big, complex problems in a variety of organizations and guide and advise senior leadership. There is almost no other place I’ve seen where you get that kind of access."
Niklas Teichmann, head of Data Science at L'Oréal, says the variety of sectors and functions he worked with at McKinsey helped him learn and apply different analytics methods and tools. He says he also “learned to handle unexpected surprises and roadblocks on projects and manage my way around them, while staying focused on the project’s success."
Values and people
Mickey Huibregtsen, chairman of The Public Cause, names “fundamental human and professional values, a true meritocracy, great people to work with inside and outside, and the greatest societal challenges to work on” as “defining characteristics of McKinsey”. He adds “I know of no other sizeable organization where you can find this.”
Alumna Sabine Bendiek, CEO of Microsoft Germany, says, "If you enjoy intellectual curiosity and intense interaction with others in a team, you are the right person for McKinsey. That makes McKinsey a great platform for people to move on to different directions of their career."
Keeping with the long-standing tradition of penning a farewell note when leaving the firm, Saagar Sinha, strategic account advisor at Salesforce, wrote about some of the amazing adventures and bonding experiences he had during his tenure. “I’ve worked with incredible people,” he says. “We forged bonds 4.2 meters below sea level in scuba gear and during countless hands of poker from Colaba to Cebu. We’ve endured stressful situations, retirements of dear friends, and many celebrations from wedding to births of children to promotions. We’ve grown up together. I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities to be part of truly visible impact ranging from helping a banking CEO to breaking sales records and building institutional capabilities for a Telangana. And for the opportunity to be a McKinsey engagement manager – the most rewarding, fulfilling, and absolutely best job in the world. I’ve gotten to watch immensely talented people grow and teach them tricks of the trade. I’ve worked with colleagues from Gurgaon to Helsinki who made me laugh and helped me feel like I belonged."
To follow in the footsteps of our alumni who have had successful consulting careers and have gone on to become successful CEOs, government officials, entrepreneurs and more, start your McKinsey career today.
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