The project demonstrated our ability to effectively serve a client with a global presence. We drew on our offices around the globe to bring together colleagues with expertise in pharmaceuticals and marketing, including people from different countries who speak the local language and are familiar with the local culture.
Over nearly two years, the team changed and grew. Our first two phases, a diagnostic and a pilot study, involved a team of eight people. Later, at one point, the team included more than 20 people.
As the client rolled out its new marketing approach to offices in Europe and Asia, regional teams supported the client’s brand teams. Each regional team covered two or three countries and included an engagement manager and two associates. In each country, a McKinsey associate worked closely with five to seven client representatives from different functions.
Several associates involved in earlier phases became engagement managers during the project. They included Stijn, Hemant, Cristian, and Anders. Senior leaders were Magnus, Laurent, and Sanjeev.
Our team included several medical doctors, such as Attila, whose job was to work with client brand teams in Turkey and Switzerland. For Karina, an attorney from Brazil, the assignment was her first with McKinsey. Although she had no experience with pharmaceuticals, her language skills in Portuguese, German, and French let her communicate easily with brand teams in several countries. The mentoring and support of her more experienced team members, combined with her problem-solving abilities, gave her the knowledge and confidence to contribute to the success of the project.