Women consultants
McKinsey aspires to be recognized as the best professional services firm in the world for women. Women at McKinsey are part of an influential network of exceptional women professionals. This network enables us to have real impact working with world-shaping leaders across an extensive variety of industries and locations in an environment that encourages and supports personal and professional growth.
“Most of us are capable of doing more than we think. It’s important to stretch people and let them know you believe in them. People take more initiative, and they personalize the firm to the client. And they have more fun.”
At McKinsey, we strive to give our female consultants access to the women who are shaping our world. And not just within the firm. Led by Joanna Barsh, a senior director at the firm, the Women's Leadership Project "Portraits of Women" celebrates the power of women leaders across the world, chronicling their stories and their successes through an archive of conversations with CEOs, politicians, civic leaders, business pioneers, and thought leaders to inspire and teach others.
Impact
Women at McKinsey make a difference. Take Diana Farrell. Her career at McKinsey has encompassed a mixture of consulting and deeper research studies. She has co-written a critically acclaimed book on the topic of global capital and has taken time out to have two children. Now as director of the McKinsey Global Institute, our independent economics research arm, she is developing research topics that fundamentally affect global economics and society. Diana says, "At McKinsey, we want people who know what they want and are willing to put something on the line for it, people who understand that nothing in life that's worth having doesn't come without some risk."
Choice
There are as many paths through McKinsey as there are people at McKinsey. Our consultants are empowered through choice.
Senior director Nancy Killefer has been a member of four different offices, driven by the desire to accommodate her career and two child family. She left the firm for several years to take a position at the senior level within the U.S. Department of Treasury and later returned to lead one of our offices. Since then she has gone on to chair the committee that elects all new McKinsey partners and to lead the Public Sector Practice.
Flexibility in the way we work helps us bring the best of our firm to our clients and to build an organization full of exceptional people. Consultants can take time out to accomplish the goals that are important to them. For many women, the reason is the birth of a child. For others, it is something different. One woman took a 6-month leave to travel throughout South America; another published her first novel; yet another produced an acclaimed documentary on AIDS.
We provide a wide range of part-time working options, which have now been in place for 15 years. More than 26 women have now been elected a partner of McKinsey while on a part-time program.
Find out more about flexibility and choices on the Women at McKinsey site.
Growth
For us, nurture is second nature. Women at McKinsey benefit from the support and encouragement of other inspirational women – peers, mentors, and role models.
We also give women at McKinsey access to a range of programs specifically designed to build their capabilities. Programs like the Leadership Development Workshop for Women and the Personal Impact Workshop for Women specifically develop female talent. In addition, our female consultants receive support on local, regional, and global levels through a number of programs that help them connect with each other.
This mutual commitment lives on beyond the time our women spend working with McKinsey. The Women's Alumni Network brings current consultants together with alumnae. This enables women to build on the mentorship, support, and community that are at the core of the McKinsey experience after they have left the firm.
Learn more about women at McKinsey on our Web site.