Before joining McKinsey I did an MSc in public health in developing countries and worked for the African Medical and Research Foundation. I managed community health programmes in Uganda, worked in the outreach team in a hospital in Ghana and then took responsibility for coordinating and leading AMREF’s research and policy activities globally.
From jargon to clarity
While I was researching large-scale training programmes at AMREF, I came across a McKinsey Quarterly article on improving training to address the shortage of healthcare workers in Tanzania. The article blew me away—it took a complex subject beset with jargon and constructed an argument that was beautifully clear, logical and precise. I hadn’t heard of McKinsey, but I thought if I could work on projects as impressive as this article, I would be able to make much more impact in the field of international health.
Making the move
I talked to a few people and found that McKinsey was well respected for its work in public health. Becoming a consultant intrigued me: I liked the idea of exploring new options and finding what I wanted to do with the rest of my career. So I joined as an associate and went straight into a basic consulting readiness course. At first it was terrifying: I was the only recruit from the charity sector, and everyone else had MBAs or business backgrounds. But I loved the problem-solving, and the case study, role plays and presentations were great preparation for client work, so it didn’t take long to fit in and make friends.
Learning on the job
The team on my first client project was very small, just an engagement manager and me. It involved developing a model for a healthcare client, something I’d never done before, but I had such great coaching from my engagement manager that I found it fascinating. I was on a much bigger team for my second project, yet I still had a lot of scope to work independently with my own client group. Being right at the centre of things was incredibly empowering.
Back in the London office there are many training opportunities, from making charts for presentations to understanding how to use the consulting toolkit. But working in a team is where the real breakthroughs happen: nothing is so powerful for developing my skills as the constant feedback I get from my engagement manager and fellow team members. And our senior people invest a lot of time in our development too; they act as role models and offer advice and an ear if you want to talk through a problem.
Putting my experience to good use
Since joining McKinsey, I’ve drawn constantly on my experience of leading large programmes and thinking through problems in a disciplined way, as well as working in complex teams combining different personalities, cultures and backgrounds. Recently I tackled my first non-health project, helping a telecom company with its organisation. Even though it’s a different sector, I’ve learnt lessons I can transfer to health and added to the body of knowledge that I bring to new clients. I’d like to stay in the health field; McKinsey’s work offers so much scope that there will always be a new challenge to take on.
Seeing the impact
As a consultant, I help clients tackle the big strategic problems that they badly want to solve. The value they place on our work because of that creates a real sense of purpose. When I do an analysis, I know it will be seen by people right at the top of the organisation. In my old job my work had a tangible impact on local communities, but at McKinsey I’m at the forefront of structural changes that will have repercussions for years to come.