Graham | Careers | McKinsey & Company

Careers

I came to McKinsey with a broad background: I'd worked in finance, in government, and even at Walt Disney. I have a very strong interest in public service, so I was looking for a way to bring all of these pieces together, and that's how I ended up following a path to McKinsey. And it's been good -- great, actually. In a relatively short time with McKinsey, I've already been able to work in different industries, learn different roles, and still indulge my passion for public service.

In the Real World

All of this came together in one of my first studies at McKinsey, working for the Mayor's Office in a major American city, helping them develop a transformation plan to turn around the city. I was working with the Police Department and Fire Department, developing ways to help improve public safety by responding to emergencies more quickly. I developed and helped launch a pilot program for neighborhood policing, helping local communities become more connected to the police, which indirectly helps lower crime. The pilot program involved setting up local posts, giving walkie-talkies to some of the members of the community, and having the policemen make presentations to local churches and community organizations. This allowed those people to take action if they thought a crime was being committed, and also allowed them to view the police as an ally, not an enemy.

This study has been, by far, my most rewarding experience at McKinsey. I saw the Mayor give his State of the City Address recently, and he talked about the impact that his administration had on public safety, improving the response time for his emergency medical services and lowering the crime rate. I was so proud to see that he was quoting that directly from the work that we had done.

Building a Network

A few months before I started at McKinsey, I attended the black consultants (BCSS) Annual Conference. I met a lot of people, some who were already working at McKinsey and some who were about to start, so it gave me an instant community. By the time I joined McKinsey, I already had a network, a very supportive network. Since then, I've become very involved with BCSS recruiting initiatives, which connects with my passion for public service. It allows me to work with community groups who might be underrepresented, to help people who, traditionally, perhaps, wouldn't have access to this kind of an institution. It's given me another platform that, in addition to my work here, makes me feel very connected to McKinsey.

What I do in my free time / my hobbies

I was born in Jamaica and grew up in the Bahamas, so I have very strong Caribbean roots. I really love reggae music, especially the vintage stuff. In my free time, I've been looking into some of the best reggae musicians from the 1970s and 1980s, trying to find some of their more obscure albums.