I’m originally from Rome and I’m a former professional rower. After I graduated with a degree in telecommunication engineering I worked on strategy and M&A for a multinational technology conglomerate for three years. I loved interacting with CEOs and being exposed to a huge variety of business issues.
Next steps
I wanted to strengthen my business skills and have an international career, so I moved to the United States to do an MBA. During my course I worked as a summer intern in McKinsey’s Italy office, and received an offer to join the office full time. Before returning I worked for Walmart’s e-commerce division on special projects for China, India and Japan. I rejoined the Italy office in 2010 as an associate, and then in 2011 I moved to the London office, where I recently became an engagement manager.
A great mix
McKinsey offers me all the things I was looking for in a career: I love tackling difficult and important problems; I get energy from working at a fast pace and learning a lot; and I’m passionate about spending time with bright and interesting people. Another thing I really enjoy is travel, and working here enables me to pursue international work every now and then while keeping a good balance with my personal life.
Helping a client pursue growthIn one recent project we helped a client explore an emerging growth opportunity in an adjacent market. There were conflicting views globally on whether the opportunity would become as big as our client hoped. We talked to McKinsey experts all over the world as well as more than 100 external experts to develop an innovative perspective on future developments in the industry. To capture the opportunity, the client incorporated our recommendations into its core strategy, restructured its organisation and pursued acquisitions. Seeing how our work is shaping the client’s future is fantastic.
Mentoring and being mentored
Every single engagement manager, associate principal, partner and director you work with at McKinsey looks after your development and tries to create opportunities for you. Over the past few years I have built up several formal and informal mentoring relationships, and I see them more as friendships than anything else. I get and give advice on any topic, professional or personal. None of us would be where we are today without the support of colleagues.