Before I joined McKinsey, I was an entrepreneur in cyber security and ethical hacking. I wrote 20 books on various technology topics, delivered more than 1000 talks in 25+ countries, trained 20,000+ people worldwide, and even hosted my own TV show on MTV India, called What the Hack!
After more than 10 years, it was time to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I went back to Stanford University–almost seven years after dropping out –to complete my bachelor’s degree. Then I applied to McKinsey in Dubai.
On my first day, during orientation, it was overwhelming to meet so many incredible people with impressive resumes. The facilitator looked us in the eyes and said we each had the freedom and support to build our own McKinsey. I was a bit skeptical. I thought that was one of those feel good things new hires are often told. However, after three–and–a–half years at the firm, I can confidently say McKinsey provides the best platform and flexibility for everyone to create their own path.
Here, I focus on digital and have worked on exciting high–impact projects including designing a future shopping mall, developing the entrepreneurship strategy in a G20 country, setting up one of the largest corporate leadership institutes in the Middle East, leading an advanced analytics transformation at a billion–dollar conglomerate and launching a gamification mobile app at a telecom operator.
I’ve also had the flexibility to pursue my personal interests. Every year, I participate in the firm’s Take Time program to have an extra 5–10 weeks of unpaid leave to pursue two of my biggest passions–traveling the world and writing books. The first year, I island hopped in the Caribbean; the second, I backpacked in Southeast Asia & Australia (see me by the Sydney Opera House); and, the third, I wrote my first fiction novel called The Casino Job, which I recently launched through a book tour in India.
While I originally joined McKinsey to fulfill my intellectual and professional ambitions, it has given me a lot more and I learned we can truly make our own McKinsey and our own lives.