I’ve been working since I was 15. There wasn’t a summer where my parents allowed me to stay home and do nothing. They wanted to introduce me to hard work early and made sure to keep me busy in the best ways possible.
I started by helping family members with their businesses, which gave me insight into how different industries operate in the Middle East. I worked in a pediatrics clinic as a receptionist, in the marketing department of a hotel in Makkah, and as a graphic designer at one of Saudi’s first design magazines. I also volunteered with every event or charity I could think of. This helped shape my purpose, which is as simple as to help people.
Finding McKinsey
I studied in Ontario, and during my time there I worked in the Canadian Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office as a service designer. There I began to understand the importance of human dignity and seamless experiences. Another great opportunity was working for a Canadian start-up that partnered with Google for Entrepreneurs. The goal was to deliver homemade meals cooked by Syrian refugees to university students through an app I designed, bridging the gap between refugees who need jobs and hungry students who lack nutrition. From this experience I understood the dedication needed to solve real world problems with design and how that impacts our everyday lives.
I returned home to Saudi Arabia, where McKinsey was an unexpected opportunity. I didn’t know the firm had a digital practice, but a friend who worked for McKinsey’s Saudi research hub helped correct my misguided assumptions, pushed me to apply, and recommended I speak to a few colleagues.
Since then, I’ve known McKinsey was the perfect place for me. I heard my friend’s colleagues talk about the impact of their work and the kind of travel that comes with it, and it was exactly how I wanted to fulfill my purpose. In February of 2019, I started my journey as an experience designer within McKinsey’s digital practice.
A strong team
The first assignment I had at McKinsey was a design-lead project in Kuwait for a client in the financial industry. I worked with a team of around eight designers, five product owners, and three lead developers from McKinsey offices worldwide to build an application with a seamless user experience under a very tight deadline.
The pressure to work quickly reminded me of when I worked for a startup. The project required adaptability and resilience and our success came from the team’s diversity. Having expert colleagues bring their knowledge from all over the globe helped us solve problems faster and make smarter decisions.
The people are the best thing about McKinsey. If you have an understanding leader with the right management style, a tech expert with depth of knowledge, and a colleague with the right energy, you can tackle anything.
At times, I’ll encounter extraordinary people who help shape my understanding of what it means to lead as a person, and not as a manager. Elena, a designer in New York, is one of those leaders. She taught me to exercise empathy as an experience designer and when leading a team.
I’m grateful to have many colleagues to reach out to when I need help and I am truly blessed to have a mentor like Krystel, who is a Dubai-based expert associate partner and designer. She helped me navigate the firm and has continued to support and challenge me. I come to her for guidance and every time, without fail, she advises me in the best way possible. I hope every person is lucky enough to have a mentor as amazing as Krystel.
Advice for recruits
Embrace the experience as it comes. Make all the mistakes you can in your first few months and be open to people who will help you learn. Being able to reach out to such a diverse community of talented individuals has humbled me as a person.
About Aseel
Aseel is an experience designer in McKinsey’s Dubai office. Prior to joining McKinsey, she was a digital service intern at the Digital Government of Ontario and a UX designer at a start-up supported by Google for Entrepreneurs. Aseel studied business, design, and programming at the University of Waterloo in Canada, where she attended the school of interaction design.
For more information on McKinsey's tech career paths, visit mckinsey.com/TechCareers.