I did not understand a thing when I came to Moscow in 2004. Back then, without knowing the language, a foreigner would have difficulty finding his or her way around the city. Even ordering a taxi in English was impossible. But I enrolled in an intensive language program and solved this problem in just 6 months. I had classes almost every morning, between 7:30 and 9:30. As to all the other things related to relocation, I got much help from the company.
“A team may unite all types of people, and their thinking may be different, but what matters is that everyone enjoys what they do. This is where our success comes from.”
A passion for the country
It is not by chance that I came to work in McKinsey’s Moscow office. Originally, I was invited to participate in a short-term project, and over those 3 to 4 months I came to love Russia and I made up my mind to take a permanent job here. It took me about a year to arrange my transfer. The only thing that scared me was that it might take me a while to fall into step with my new colleagues—even back at school I was told that Russians are distrustful and keep to themselves! As it turned out, it was the other way round—it may take some time, but they really do open their hearts and let you in. My Moscow colleagues are amazingly nice people.
The sphere of my interests
If you want to work with McKinsey, you have to be flexible: being an expert in only one area is not enough. But I do have my preferences. I have extensive experience in information technology and there are many projects in this field in Russia, often helping to design and develop large IT platforms and infrastructure. Several years ago developed markets saw a massive wave of business “informatization,” which was followed by a wave of optimization; this evolution continues in Russia. At first we thought that our work would be confined to gathering best practices from across Eastern Europe, taking lessons learned from other experiences, and adapting them to the client’s situation in Russia. But, at least in certain areas, we discovered that far from falling behind global leaders, Russia was well ahead and could even share its experience. For instance, the oil and gas and petrochemical industries are very advanced.
Our clients are large IT companies and companies that need help with their IT functions. What they all have in common is that they regard the development of information technologies as an indispensable part of their success. It is nice to see that, thanks to your efforts, the situation changes for the better right before your eyes.
Planet McKinsey
You live in Russia, and yet you travel far and wide: here at McKinsey, this is the usual practice. Over the last 7 years, I have had a chance to work in something like eight countries. It is interesting to observe how companies elsewhere in the world handle the same problems as their Russian counterparts.
Some projects stick with you because, among other things, they are rewarding on a personal level. Once, I remember, a bank asked McKinsey to help with a problem it faced in the United Arab Emirates. Our team brought together people of about a dozen nationalities: there were Italian, Russian, Indian, and French consultants all working together. This is where the McKinsey approach is valuable: a team may unite all types of people, and their thinking may be different, but what matters is that everyone enjoys what they do. This is where our success comes from.