Biniam
Partner
Why McKinsey?
We’re serving a leading multilateral institution on how developing countries can continue to grow in a sustainable way given the issues of climate change.
I came to this country at the age of 9 as a refugee from Eritrea and grew up very poor. I always say that I joined McKinsey so I could do the kind of work that I’m doing now: leveraging the Firm to have an impact on poverty and other global issues. Dealing with these topics is quite personal to me.
From Medicine to Consulting
At Williams I majored in chemistry and had an interest in going into medicine. I even started a pre-med club in high school! My junior year at Williams, a friend told me I should apply to McKinsey. While I was thinking through applying to medical school, I applied to McKinsey, got in, and decided to join. I swore to the world I had it all figured out, but really I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I even shaved my head before the final interview so that I could look more conservative!
Around the World Experience
My time at McKinsey has taken me all around the world: India, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, China, France, UK, and Turkey, to name a few places. When I joined as a business analyst I did everything from working on a packaged goods merger in Battle Creek, Michigan, to servring a glass manufacturing plant in northern India. One of my greatest memories was with a bank in Nigeria. We had a progress review that went from noon on Friday to noon on Sunday. Every single minute of that weekend involved intense problem solving. It was absolutely amazing.
Solving Social Issues
After I completed my 2 years as a BA, I did the one-year program at Kellogg. When I came back I focused on financial services for a few years because I had developed a passion for the topic in business school. However, since becoming a partner I have shifted toward social and public sector work. Topically, I focus on economic development, climate change, risk management, and financial services (including microfinance). I do this work with organizations like the World Bank and agencies of the US government.
Firm Diversity
While there aren’t a huge number of minorities in the traditional sense at the firm, it is actually a very diverse place. I’ll staff a team in Sao Paulo and I’ll have a Brazilian, a German, an American, and an Indian on that team. The richness of this diversity is something I don’t think you can appreciate anywhere else. It’s especially nice for someone with a name like mine (since everyone else on the McKinsey team has a funny name)!
Free Time
I try to spend every spare minute with my wife and my two kids, whom I love dearly. I guess my hobbies revolve around them – kite flying, biking, wrestling on grass.