Q&A with Jeremy
Jeremy discovered McKinsey after leaving a human embryonic stem-cell company and working on a postdoc at Harvard. While there, he met several McKinsey people who impressed him and inspired him with their values and focus on client impact. After his final-round interview with McKinsey, Jeremy says, “I walked out thinking, ‘That was so cool. I love those people. I really want to join.’” And that’s exactly what he did.
Interviewer: Were you one of those people who wanted to be a scientist since you were playing with chemistry sets at the age of 5?
Jeremy: Haha, not really. I never knew what I wanted to do—but I loved playing with chemistry sets and doing kitchen chemistry (using egg whites to create emulsions, inducing crystal formation in fruit Popsicles, deconstructing telephones, etc). Actually, I became a scientist for all the wrong reasons. I was very young when I finished my undergraduate degree, and somebody said, “We’d love you to do a PhD.”
Interviewer: Then what happened?
Jeremy: After finishing my PhD in Australia, I joined a human embryonic stem-cell company. I was still very young. I got involved in commercial discussions that never would have happened as an academic. It was an amazing environment, but it also showed me that science was not my true calling. I was still more passionate about business and commerce.
Interviewer: The next step was a post-doc at Harvard. What happened there?
Jeremy: The lab showed me what truly top-notch science meant, but also made it clear that academia is not my true calling. I met a bunch of McKinsey people through the lab and through friends. They opened their arms in a way that no one at other firms had. Their values resonated with mine. McKinsey focused on client impact. It was never about making money or getting the next study or anything like that. I found that inspiring and distinctive.
Interviewer: Is it true that you can do an MBA in just 3 weeks, but a PhD takes half a decade?
Jeremy: Neither is really true from my experience. But, I’ve never had an educational experience like the mini-MBA program. We spent 3 weeks in a beautiful place in Austria, learning business concepts from some of the best professors in the world. It was an amazing group of 35 people—some had medical and law degrees, others were scientists, historians, things like that. There’s an excitement you share when you’re changing careers.
Interviewer: It certainly made an impression at home.
Jeremy: My wife was at business school at the time and when I came home she joked that I’d learned more than she did in her first 9 months at business school. This was somewhat true, but she had covered the content in business school in more depth. That said, I’ve been with McKinsey 8 years now, and, because of all the great training and development, I’ve never felt disadvantaged for not having an MBA.
Interviewer: Have you worked exclusively in healthcare?
Jeremy: My first studies were in medical devices and with a giant pharma acquisition. It was fascinating work, but after a year I sat down with my professional development manager and said “I love healthcare but I really want to try something else.” So my next study was as different as you can imagine: a cost-cutting study at an investment bank.
Interviewer: You’ve worked in academia, at a biotech company, and now at McKinsey. What’s unique about our culture?
Jeremy: We talk to each other a lot here. We tell each other things that we do very well and things that we can do better. I’m never going to be a person who dictates, “Here’s what you do, here’s how you do it, and here’s when you need to do it.” I can adapt my style to my own strengths. That’s refreshing and inspiring.
Education
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Monash University
BSc, PhD