Crystal Koo began volunteering with Lighthouse Children Welfare Home in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, a journey which eventually led her to join the firm. “Working with the founder of Lighthouse, Jacinta Steven, helped me discover a renewed sense of purpose, and set me on a trajectory towards obtaining my master’s degree in education,” explains Crystal. “It ultimately also led to me joining McKinsey in 2019 where I knew I would have the opportunity to learn, grow, and work with public sector leaders on some of the most pressing issues.”
Creating social impact remains a huge part of what McKinsey’s Kuala Lumpur office does. It all started in 2009, when it launched a Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), a 12-week capability-building program on communications and problem solving led by McKinsey coaches and targeted at Malaysian youth enrolled in local universities.
YLA is now a flagship social impact program in the Kuala Lumpur office and has been transformed into a platform for youths to create and drive their own social enterprises. It has supported over 800 graduates from top Malaysian universities, who were chosen for their high performance and for having contributed significantly to their local communities, and launched over 70 social entrepreneurship projects. Some of these social enterprises, such as Ibupreneurs, Edulab, and The Quack Movement, remain led by YLA students. Other YLA alumni have gone on to become leaders in various startups, corporations and government agencies across Malaysia. This year, YLA entered into a partnership with a non-profit organization, Teach For Malaysia (TFM), to leverage TFM’s wide alumni network and to further broaden YLA’s social impact.
Partnerships have been an effective way for McKinsey to generate social impact in Malaysia. Since 2021, it has forged long-term partnerships with Dignity for the Children Foundation, Carefugees, RC Deaf Missions and Lighthouse Children’s Welfare Home Association.
McKinsey’s Kuala Lumpur office colleagues spend a significant amount of time with the leaders of each social impact partner to understand their needs and tailor the support the firm extends accordingly. For example, one organization might require volunteers for events to raise awareness and funds, while another might need help designing a mentorship program. McKinsey helped Lighthouse Children’s Welfare Home Association, a shelter that provides care, education and early childhood developmental support to vulnerable children, to establish an online sales channel and to market themselves digitally, which resulted in sales increasing by 50 percent. Beyond that, McKinsey also created impact that cannot be measured, the kind that touches people. An example of this is a case of a young boy at Lighthouse who was very reserved when McKinsey volunteers met him. They spent time with him on several occasions and gradually earned his trust. Eventually, he felt comfortable enough to open up and start engaging with others. For the volunteers, seeing this boy come out of his shell was incredibly meaningful and memorable.
The founder of Dignity for Children foundation, Rev. Elisha expresses his thanks to McKinsey, “You have a wealth to offer … As an organization you have amazing gifts sets and skill sets which can help other organizations … be more effective in what we do, so that we can intervene better and see greater results. I would say the sky’s the limit.”
Vidhya Ganesan, the head of McKinsey Kuala Lumpur, says, "I am proud of the spirit of giving shown by our colleagues in our Kuala Lumpur office. This is true for all roles, tenures, ages, and interests. Whether giving is in the form of time spent coaching and mentoring or supporting our social impact partners’ fundraising events, it has all made a difference. Each of our colleagues is naturally inclined to help, and it is truly inspiring.”