I knew I would learn a lot at the beginning, but I didn’t realize that learning never stops.

What did you do before joining?

At university, I studied for a master’s in applied economics and then went on to do a doctorate, which I completed in 2011. I joined the retail banking team at McKinsey’s Global Financial Institutions Center straight from university.

Is life at McKinsey what you expected?

I knew I would learn a lot at the beginning, but I didn’t realize that learning never stops. Even directors with years of experience still learn something new every day. I learn on the job, by doing, as well as from everyone around me—peers and partners. And we also have offsite training sessions and online tools and other opportunities for learning and development.

What gives you the most satisfaction?

It isn’t one thing, it’s every time a consultant finds your work helpful or a client is pleased with what you’ve done. It’s being able to brainstorm and think out of the box and help a team go that extra step.

How do you work with people from day to day?

Our environment is non-hierarchical, and colleagues at all levels—from directors to other analysts—ask for my expertise and listen to my ideas. It isn’t one-way communication either; the way we work is genuinely collaborative.

What difference does it make to work at a global firm?

I am in constant contact with client teams throughout the world, from Canada to Australia to Japan. Our network of specialists is global too—I work with banking colleagues in India and the United States as well as in Europe. Being a global firm enables us to bring the knowledge of experts anywhere in the world to even the smallest local project.