I assumed that to have a challenging, meaningful career I would always work abroad. I did not plan to return home to Romania, until my interview with McKinsey.
My Path to McKinsey
Passionate about international impact, I have studied and worked all over the world. I served as a European advisor at TURBO, a nonprofit that aims to strengthen ties between Turkey’s research and business organizations and the European Union (EU). I also worked as a trade-development advisor in the British Embassy to Romania and as a project officer in the EU SME [small and medium-size enterprises] Centre in Beijing. I assumed that to have a challenging, meaningful career I would always work abroad. I did not plan to return home to Romania, until my interview with McKinsey.
Choosing McKinsey Bucharest
There is no country on Earth with more people, memories, and places that I love and feel connected to than Romania. At McKinsey, I get to pursue my professional dreams and also help develop my country. Coming home after years abroad feels like having my cake and eating it too.
Work environment
Think of the most exciting and busy time you have experienced as an employee. Mix this with the most thought-provoking and challenging projects. Add starting a new job and wanting to put your best foot forward. Now do it ten times in a row. In consulting, the pace is fast and the demands are high. But to have a client that you respect and admire find in you a thought partner is very special and meaningful. There’s no other feeling like it.
Charting your own course at McKinsey
When I first heard that McKinsey encourages its people to “make their own McKinsey” I was a bit skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised to find this is not just an expression, but a genuine practice at the firm. I came to McKinsey with a clear understanding that I wanted to work in healthcare. Thanks to McKinsey’s international staffing model, I have spent around 70 percent of my time on healthcare projects. Because of the firm’s belief that people should be free to chart their own course, I was able to pursue my professional developmental goals mostly unhindered by any geographical or administrative constraints.
Education
INSEAD, France and Singapore
MBA
Peking University
MSc, international relations
Bucharest University of Economic Studies
BA, business administration
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania
BA, political science