Why I decided to apply
As a tax lawyer, you usually specialize in the design of fiscal structures for a single type of tax. Although you gain deep knowledge in that field, during my taxation internships I started missing intellectual challenges and diversity, both in my job and in the people I worked with. McKinsey offered the perspective of a steep learning curve in different functions (ranging from marketing to finance), industries (ranging from consumer goods to insurance), and countries. After 3 years of working here, McKinsey lived up to my expectations.
Proudest moment
Being applauded by senior executives from a large client for my contribution to one of their long meetings. Normally, external people wouldn’t join them for such an occasion, but I was responsible for all the analyses being discussed. Based on the talks taking place during the meeting, I was able to update our analyses on the fly. It was very rewarding to realize how much they appreciated the work we had done!
Strangest place I ever had breakfast while at McKinsey
At the house of a client in Abuja (Nigeria), waking up after an hour’s sleep following my night flight from London.
Most important lesson I learned from a client
Keep clients in the loop at all times! During one project, I worked closely with one of the people from the client side on solving part of their problem. I later presented the solution we had jointly arrived at, but I had changed the presentation. Because of this, my client did not recognize the outcome anymore and I lost his support. It took me quite some time to convince him that our recommendations hadn’t changed. Since then, I always keep clients in the loop, no matter how small the changes might be.
Skill I never thought I’d have
Being assertive with clients. Even as a fellow with only a few months of working experience, I was able to challenge senior clients with years and years of experience in the industry.
Activities outside McKinsey
Spending time with my girlfriend and friends. Besides that, many sports: kite surfing, skiing, golf, running, and ice skating (I am training for the alternate Elfstedentocht, an ice-skating tour of over 200 kilometers that traditionally takes place in the Netherlands in very harsh winters.)
Favorite restaurant in the Netherlands
Restaurant Red
Favorite Web sites
Grooveshark.com and Nu.nl
What next?
I have just returned to McKinsey Amsterdam after an exciting year doing an MBA at INSEAD. I am looking forward to new interesting projects in my new role as an associate. I am also very excited about my kite surfing and skiing holidays coming up soon.