Black consultants at McKinsey
If you ask a black consultant at McKinsey what they value most about our network group, you’ll hear an outpouring of many things. But above all, it’s the powerful sense of community the group engenders—made possible by the connection to inspiring leaders and peers across McKinsey—and beyond.
As Margaret Brooks, one of the network managers aptly puts it:
“We provide the opportunity to build relationships through our formal programs and social events, across geographies and practice areas. With our ‘one firm’ structure, wherever you work, you are part of our community.”
McKinsey has a serious commitment to its role as the preeminent destination for world class leaders. This isn’t recent. Our commitment stretches back decades: the first two black consultants joined McKinsey in 1968.
Since then, black professionals have been extremely successful at McKinsey, and have made a significant impact. We have five black directors on three continents who share a strong commitment to the network, and comprise the largest number of top ranking black consultants in any global consulting firm.
Today, the range of nationalities and backgrounds within McKinsey is ever-expanding, and our black community is growing at the same time. We’ve continuously been in Africa for 15+ years, with more than 300 consultants across five offices (Johannesburg, Lagos, Casablanca, Cairo, and our new East Africa location). This explosion has dramatically increased the number of blacks at McKinsey outside of North America and Europe.
That’s exciting. But it’s not enough. We are working hard to communicate our commitment to expanding the number of blacks at McKinsey, and to attract talented blacks at every level, starting at business analysts. Our network of black consultants knows that we are passionate about this imperative, and they are helping to spearhead our efforts.
What we do
Our network aspires to
- Recruit the very best black talent to the firm, wherever it can be found
- Foster a strong climate of professional development
- Inspire connectivity and mentoring relationships within the community and the firm
How we do it: recruiting
McKinsey participates in top external diversity recruiting programs focused on minorities in business such as the MBA and Undergrad Jump Start programs, as well as diversity recruiting events at select schools. We sponsor black and Africa business conferences at select schools—including a recent sponsorship at Cambridge University in the UK.
Some of our efforts include:
- McKinsey’s Sophomore Diversity Leaders Internship program (SDLI) for minority college students of US colleges and universities
- Our Johannesburg office’s McKinsey Leaders Program designed to create early pipeline of black South African leaders
- Our Chicago office’s Diverse Young Scholars Program.
How we do it: professional development
Individual development based on “extending your strengths” is part of the McKinsey experience that applies to everyone.
We host a two-day global conference for black consultants with tenure-based leadership development and training—and the all-important opportunity to connect one one-on-one with McKinsey leaders from all backgrounds.
As a recent attendee put it:
“The most valuable parts of the conference are the professional development sessions and being able to ask tough questions in an amazingly welcome environment.”
Learn more about the BCSS conference
How we do it: connectivity
Our black consultant’s network creates opportunities for colleagues, clients, and alumni to build connections through regular events, dinners, and professional development conferences.
The experience of these events can be profound. One person who attended a black consultants’ alumni event put it this way:
“Two of my clients, who are also McKinsey alumni, flew from West Africa to be part of the conference; there were alumni from various parts of the continent there, simply because they still identify with McKinsey. One of them took off his boardroom hat and just said to us ‘We’re family.’ There’s something truly special here about the way we actively build our communities and networks.”
Alumni network
- McKinsey's network extends beyond our current consultants to include hundreds of black alumni who now play significant roles in leading organizations, including the U.S.Federal Reserve Board, an energy company in Trinidad, and a division of GE. More than 37 hold CEO/President-level positions and over 30 have founded companies.
- Some notable black alumni include: Susan Rice, US National Security Advisor; Roger Ferguson, President and CEO TIAA CREF; Frederik Swaniker, Founder and CEO, Africa Leadership Academy; Marc Thomas, President and CEO, GE Aviation; Bob Holland, former CEO of Ben & Jerry's.