Careers

Q&A with Mauro

Mauro was an infantry officer in the US Marine Corps, with two combat tours in Al Ramadi, in central Iraq. After serving his country, he earned an MBA from Kellogg. It was there he decided he wanted to join a consulting firm, and choosing McKinsey was a decision that required no agonizing whatsoever. Mauro wanted international experience to take the tools and knowledge he developed at B-school and apply them on a global scale. So far, Mauro’s been using all of his high-caliber brain—and then some.

Interviewer: I read an interview where you talked about how tough it was to get hired out of the military; this was before you had your MBA. What did that feel like?

Mauro: Frustrating to say the least. By no means did I believe I was owed anything, but all of us who served in a similar capacity had just spent the last several years leading large groups of people in a complex and dynamic environment.

I strongly believed, as I still do, that we in the military develop a unique skill set that should be easily transferable to a business environment.

Interviewer: Can you describe the support you’ve gotten at McKinsey as you had to transfer that skill set to learn a whole new discipline?

Mauro: At McKinsey, everyone’s incentives are aligned to have you succeed—whether it’s your project manager staying up a few extra hours to walk you through the structure of the problem, or the support staff going the extra mile to make your life just a little bit more manageable. Every colleague goes out of his or her way to ensure you’re prepared and have high impact with the client.

Interviewer: How does your experience at McKinsey connect with your tour in Iraq?

Mauro: Designing and leading a pilot program for a commercial bank made me think a lot about risk again. I also had the opportunity to step back into a leadership role and work directly with the client team to implement the program, which was a brand-new idea for the bank. As one team member said, "It was like were driving the car down the highway as we were building it." Ultimately, the program was featured in the Wall Street Journal, and they were very excited about the impact.

Interviewer: Quick, what three phrases define McKinsey?

Mauro: Global, dynamic, intellectually stimulating.

Interviewer: What was the most distinctive team you’ve worked with?

Mauro: I was once part of team made up of an Indian, a Norwegian, an Irishman, a Chinese woman, a Singaporean woman, a New York City woman–and I am of Latin descent. The client called us a “mini-UN.” This diversity of thought and of backgrounds led to better problem solving…plus it made for very entertaining team dinners!

Interviewer: When did you realize you were at home here?

Mauro: On my second day at McKinsey, I was talking to a PhD in chemical engineering–most likely discussing something I didn’t understand–desperately trying to find some common ground. Then I noticed that he had a full sleeve of tattoos on each arm, and I knew this was going to be a great place with not only intelligent people but interesting people.

Interviewer: What one experience have you had here that you don’t think you would have had elsewhere?

Mauro: I came into work on a Monday morning in a remote location and my team leader saw that I was down. I mentioned that the flowers I had purchased for my wife on our anniversary were, well, a bit underwhelming. My wife isn’t hung up on those things, but I definitely blew it. After he heard it was my anniversary, he told me to get back on a plane, spend the day with my wife, and come back on Wednesday. We work hard; there’s no doubt about it. It’s actions like that, though, that make the lifestyle sustainable.

Interviewer: How active are you in McKinsey’s efforts to recruit more vets?

Mauro: McKinsey has introduced some great formal recruiting programs; they’ve always made a concerted effort though to work with veterans associations to attract the best talent. Since joining McKinsey, I've been fortunate enough to become involved in the recruiting process and act as a mentor to some of these amazing veterans. They truly get more impressive every year.

Education

• Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University MBA
• Georgetown University BA