Q&A with Brindan
For most of us, studying both medicine and law would be plenty in life. But Brindan wanted more. He became hugely excited when he heard about McKinsey’s Healthcare Practice and was moved by the opportunity to have significant impact through the work being done there. So he switched careers from being a doctor—and changed continents—to make it happen.
Interviewer: You were settled in Sydney, working as a doctor. Now you’re at McKinsey in London. That's quite a transition.
Brindan: When I heard about McKinsey’s Healthcare Practice, it was a kind of revelation. I wanted to make a difference in the world. Both law and medicine were wonderful things to study, but I became convinced that working with McKinsey would have the most impact. It has also given me the opportunity to work with other like-minded people—a surprising number of whom have at least one of the same degrees as I do.
Interviewer: Beyond the work itself, what is the culture like?
Brindan: Several things have impressed me about the McKinsey culture. First, McKinsey deals with tough problems in a team-based way. I find that refreshing and effective. Second, the people are amazingly caring. I did not expect so many individuals to invest so much time and energy in me. Finally, our people are very modest about their own achievements but always curious about those of others.
Interviewer: Tell us about the time you had to walk the walk, running a business and not just advising one.
Brindan: I spent 4 months in one of our “start-ups” that was bringing together health systems from around the world to share best practices. It was a great opportunity to experience McKinsey at its most entrepreneurial and to test another set of my muscles. Working in that environment made me understand the challenges many of our clients face. Being entrepreneurial is far more difficult than talking about it.
Interviewer: Can you share an example of the impact you had that wasn’t possible as a sole physician, no matter how dedicated you were?
Brindan: I worked on a project to improve the treatment of chronic diseases in one of the poorest parts of London. The intervention involved helping family doctors come together to work as “networks” and provide care at scale. This meant the ability to hire shared resources like nurses, sharing best practices among themselves, and better access to specialist doctors to discuss their most challenging cases. People were skeptical. But this work is now often cited as an example of how you can move the needle in meeting the healthcare needs of some of our society’s most vulnerable.
Interviewer: Is your game face on now?
Brindan: Very funny. I will never forget when one of our senior partners told me, "Drop your game face when you come to work. It's too tiring to keep it up, and people want to know who the real you is anyway, not some made up version of you." At McKinsey, you can only truly succeed if you are yourself. This place values authenticity, and in that there is an enormous amount of liberation and autonomy.
Interviewer: What five items mean the most to you, and why?
Brindan: Ha! I’m not very materialistic so this is tough—but my camera to document things, a set of chopsticks (because Chinese food is my favorite), my dad’s cufflinks, a pencil because it is more forgiving than a pen, and my gift subscription to the New York Times because I am a newshound.
Education
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University of Sydney
BA, LLB, MBBS