Parag | Careers | McKinsey & Company

Careers

I’ve always loved travel and experiencing new places. For me, a highlight of being part of McKinsey is being able to make my career global.

My first change to work abroad was as an Engagement Manager in 2003, when I worked in Australia. Since then I’ve spent some time in +30 McKinsey offices—maybe it’s a record! Recently, I brought my passion for globe trotting full circle. After 11 years based in DC, I moved to Melbourne to join the Australia office and build our consumer practice in this area of Asia Pacific. Since McKinsey encourages everyone to pursue periods of professional "renewal," when Australia was mentioned, I jumped at the opportunity to build something new within McKinsey and tackle a different set of challenges.

Values: obligation to dissent

One experience really cemented McKinsey values for me. We were serving one of our largest consumer clients and we had multiple high-profile projects underway at the time. A few weeks into our study it became clear that the client was not yet ready for us to do the work and that, as a result, we would not have impact through our work. I sat down with the two partners involved in our study, and we had an open and frank conversation. They agreed, so we sat down with the main client, walked him through our thoughts, and he agreed as well. To me it was quite empowering because I was a new engagement manager, and the partners who were involved said, “If you think this is right, let’s have the conversation.” It made me realize that the obligation to dissent is a core part of our values. We ended up doing that work a few years later after a series of other things happened that made the client ready.

Amazing support

I was elected partner having literally ‘grown up’ in the Washington D.C. office. The support that got me to that moment was amazing. It was everybody in the office: the support staff, my colleagues, the partners in the office—everyone had a hand in helping me on my path to partner. One thing that continues to astonish me about McKinsey is the significant growth that I have enjoyed over the years, which is really due to the support of all of these people.

Why I Stay

McKinsey people are just awesome to be around and work with. They are great people, great colleagues, and people who really care about each other, our growth, and professional and personal development. In addition, we get a chance to help clients and work with them and do great work everyday. It’s hard to beat. We serve great institutions, but at the end of the day we serve individual leaders and, most importantly, people.

GLBT at McKinsey (GLAM) and being yourself

GLAM, like all of the diversity networks at McKinsey, benefits both the community it represents and the fabric of McKinsey overall. Some of the policy changes that have benefited everyone at McKinsey were driven by priorities we identified within GLAM. For example, offering domestic partner benefits around the world. It is rewarding to be a part of a group that is helping McKinsey live its values of meritocracy and diversity, wherever our colleagues are in the globe.

Connectivity through conferences

McKinsey’s global GLAM conference is an opportunity for people to connect and get to know one another. In many parts of the world, we enjoy a welcoming workplace environment and often have a critical mass in our larger locations of Gay Lesbian Bisexual or Transgender (GLBT) colleagues. However as a global firm with more than 90 locations, we also have offices where there may be only one GLBT colleague. So the global conference is a way to connect, to identify issues and challenges we face globally, and then agree on a path forward that will positively impact McKinsey and the business environment overall.

What I do in my free time / my hobbies

In my spare time, I am a pop culture and independent film junkie, and you will often find me on my yoga mat on weekends. I dabble in painting and cooking, but just enough to make it a hobby these days. I love to cook Indian and Italian food. As a new resident of Melbourne, I'm also busy exploring the great laneways and neighborhoods that make the city such a unique place to live and work.