I came to McKinsey knowing that I wanted to work in New York, but also convinced that finance and health care weren't the right fit for me. I knew my instincts were right when I joined the Media Practice, and found myself working with a media company here in New York. Right away, I just loved the culture; the clients themselves made it so much fun to work with them. We were helping them transition their sales force, in order to make it more effective, and the day-to-day work was interesting.
But what made it so enjoyable was the attitude that these clients brought to their work. Before we could sit down at a meeting with the executives -- really senior folks -- everyone greeted each other with a hug or a kiss on the cheek. It showed me that we were all people, and while I knew that we were going to get down to business and be very serious about it, at the heart of it we'll greet each other and treat each other with a lot of respect.
Social studies
One of my proudest moments at McKinsey happened on a client study that brought about a lot of firsts. It was my first time leading a study as an engagement manager, it was one of the first times McKinsey had done a full study on social media, and it was our first time at this particular client in the U.S. We were helping a home decor company craft a social media strategy, and we were able to help them take what had previously been a scattershot approach and transform it into a meaningful plan. By the end, they had increased their social media budget five-fold, and were really excited about their plans to move forward. This became obvious to me in our final project review with the client’s executives: we didn't actually present anything, we just kicked off the discussion. The client team members we worked with took over, convincing their leadership that their plan was sound. I knew that they would have complete ownership when our project was over, and I knew that my leadership had helped make that happen.
Expanding my network
I was introduced to the HLCSS community before I joined McKinsey, having attended the first HLCSS Conference in Chicago before I started as a summer intern. McKinsey is a big place, but having the HLCSS community makes it so much more approachable. At that first conference I was able to learn about all of the different offices, including the large contingency of folks in Chicago and the smaller office in Miami. It was my chance to broaden my network, to learn about the opportunities at McKinsey, and to just talk to people and to learn their stories.
It also was through HLCSS that I met a mentor who's been instrumental in helping me succeed at McKinsey. From him, I learned how important it is to perform well in your first few studies; it's really your time to build momentum and keep it going. But I also learned how to overcome struggles, and how people in a senior position like his have overcome the bumps that we all face in our careers.
What I do in my free time
When I'm home in New York, I like to take advantage of all that the city has to offer, whether that's finding new restaurants, having coffee in the Village, or taking my dog for a walk. I also love to travel, especially internationally. My husband and I love to visit new countries, but we're not the resort type: we like to rent a car and spend days driving around, finding a hole in the wall place to visit.
Offices
Education
| Columbia University Graduate School of Business |
MBA, Business |
2008 |
| University of Southern California |
MS, Electrical Engineering |
2004 |
| University of Southern California |
BS, Electrical Engineering |
2003 |