Corporate Finance

McKinsey’s understanding of value creation is unsurpassed. Our Corporate Finance practice wrote Valuation, the definitive book on the topic, widely used by corporate finance professionals and students, and we embed its principles in our work. Our distinctiveness as strategic advisors with deep understanding of finance and value creation helps management teams address a wide range of issues, including creating value in the capital markets, following best practices to run a healthy finance operation, and, of course, transactions.

To read more about our work, please visit the Expertise section.

McKinsey is a values-based firm. We simultaneously strive to help our clients address their most challenging questions and to create an unrivaled professional environment that attracts and retains exceptional people.

McKinsey consultants hail from a variety of academic, professional, and personal backgrounds. Many of our corporate finance consultants have prior experience in consulting, investment banking, private equity, or in the finance functions of major corporations. Others join McKinsey immediately after earning their undergraduate, MBA, or other advanced degree. To drive the greatest impact for our clients, our engagement teams consist of both corporate finance experts and industry specialists.

Candidates join our Corporate Finance Practice for several reasons. Some seek a new intellectual challenge, while others express a desire to deepen their knowledge of a particular topic. Still others seek to gain new perspectives and have greater professional impact.

In general, McKinsey hires exceptional people with outstanding capabilities and potential in four areas: problem solving, achievement, personal impact, and leadership. The Corporate Finance Practice hires business analysts, associates, and experts with experience in, or a desire to focus on, our field. This adds a fifth dimension to what we look for. The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of current corporate finance trends, their impact on business strategies, and their implications for senior management in driving value and sustaining competitive advantage. Candidates should be comfortable with quantitative analysis and take a creative yet pragmatic approach to problem solving.

At McKinsey, consultants have an opportunity to focus on what interests them most. Consultants who specialize in corporate finance enjoy the same benefits as their peers following a generalist path, including:

• Work in a variety of industries, such as banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals, energy, consumer products, high tech, media, and the public sector
• Access to standard training programs at all levels
• An objective evaluation process that measures and rewards performance based on the merits of an individual’s professional contributions
• Integration with one’s office community and associate class Invitations to the same social functions, in and out of the office

Corporate finance consultants also enjoy additional advantages:

• Membership to a community within a community, with dedicated mentors, a professional network, and corporate finance-specific social functions
• A strong focus (at least half-time) on corporate finance work or where corporate finance capabilities are needed (e.g., capital markets, transactions, finance function optimization, merger management, strategy, risk); with the balance of work across generalist functions
• Access to additional training programs and conferences (e.g., two-week core skills training, corporate finance-specific manager training)

In the Corporate Finance Practice, all of our colleagues acquire three things to start them on a path to leadership:

• Deep expertise in finance
• A broad set of leadership skills transferable across sectors around the world
• Access to a broad and influential network of alumni around the world

Yes. A Corporate Finance BA is similar to a traditional BA in that he or she fulfills the same job description, has access to the same trainings, and undergoes the same evaluation process. A CF BA has a built-in network of corporate finance colleagues, in addition to his or her office colleagues, and spends roughly half his or her time on corporate finance work. In addition, CF BAs have access to generalist training programs plus corporate finance-specific programs. For more on the CF BA role, please visit the Careers page.

We welcome applications through our firm's Careers web site.