Starting at McKinsey
My name is Charlotte Werner. I am 29 and an associate principal in McKinsey’s Paris office. I joined McKinsey as an intern after graduating from ESSEC Business School. In the beginning, I acquired very wide-ranging experience in the automobile, luxury, consumer-goods, and pharmaceutical industries. I found two of these—pharma and consumer goods—particularly interesting, and I was able very quickly to specialize in them through projects in France, but also in India, the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Defining your own path
What really makes the difference for me at McKinsey is the opportunity we have to define our own paths, to pursue initiatives that matter to us and that motivate us. I built “My own McKinsey” on the basis of the two industries that inspire me: pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. It all started during a few informal conversations I had with some English and German colleagues who shared my interest. Today, the consumer-health sector has become a fully-fledged practice area in our office. We are about ten people pooling their efforts to develop expertise in the area and help our clients innovate.
Contributing to research
Apart from our consulting engagements, McKinsey also carries out research into subjects that go beyond the corporate world, such as important social issues. I play a part in the global initiative launched by the Paris office that focuses on assessing the role women play in senior management. In France, women account for only 8 percent of corporate executive committee members. For a number of years now, McKinsey has published a series of reports entitled Women Matter on the role and progress of women in top management. This work has opened my eyes to the fact that women’s progress in the corporate world is not something one can take for granted—this is what prompted me to get involved.
This work has also allowed me to meet some wonderful people. One of my strongest memories is when we presented Women Matter to the Women’s Forum, an international event that is held every year at Deauville and attracts hundreds of women executives. Today, I present the Women Matter research to companies and exchange views with men and women who are outside my usual client circle. This sharing of experiences allows us to help our clients promote gender diversity within their companies and to deepen our knowledge of the subject.