Louise

Associate

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I have a passion for travel—the sort where you end up staying in guesthouses and hostels, sipping beer with the locals, and spending your time figuring out if you should take the bus (which looks like its only running because of the few elastic bands that seem to be holding the engine together) or hitching a ride on the back of a pickup together with the rest of the village. My many adventures have included canoeing down the Amazon with an indigenous tribe, dancing the night away in a South African township, and hanging out in Kathmandu with some tanga painters. The people you meet are truly inspiring, and I return from each trip completely energised.

Tell us a bit about your career before McKinsey.

I had my own business prior to McKinsey and was always very entrepreneurial. Before business school I worked in a number of small high-growth enterprises. Eventually I felt that the challenge had gone from my start-up, and I decided it was time to move on. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do and knew I needed something that would challenge me, develop my business skills further, and give me the opportunity to work with intelligent and driven people.

How did you come to apply to McKinsey?

Having graduated from London Business School in 2004 I knew quite a few people who had worked or still worked at McKinsey. When I was trying to decide what career option would best meet my requirements a number of them suggested I apply. I thought they were crazy and never in a million years would I become a consultant. However, they planted the seed in my mind and got me thinking about it as an option. I spoke to as many people as I could about what it involved, the type of work, the learning, the application process, etc. The more I understood about the role the more I recognised what a good fit it would be.

What made McKinsey seem like a good fit for you?

A key concern I had about consulting was that it would be too theoretical and far from the practical day-to-day concerns of businesses. As someone who had worked in start-ups I was used to being very hands on in solving business problems, and practical solutions are what interest me. Yet, contrary to my expectations, my experience fits very well with how we work on studies here at McKinsey. Working side-by-side with clients and helping them implement practical business solutions is what McKinsey is all about.

Describe one of the highlights of your McKinsey experience.

Although I haven’t been here a long time I already have had a number of great 'can’t believe this is happening' moments. One of those moments was when I was reading the Economist and came across an article about my first study.

Describe your experience with mentorship at the firm.

As someone who has worked in numerous organizations where coaching and support were virtually nonexistent, it still amazes me the amount of time people spend coaching and supporting your development at McKinsey. On every study I’ve been on my engagement managers have taken an active interest in finding out what type of studies I wanted to be involved in, and they spent significant amounts of time coaching and training me, even though they were under constant pressure to use their time in other ways.

What have been your biggest learnings at McKinsey?

That the best answers are often the most simple.

How have you pursued your own interests at McKinsey?

Women in business is an area that I am very interested in, and, when I have the opportunity, I like to engage in activities that encourage and support women to consider careers in business. While at London Business School I was heavily involved in the Women in Business club, and since joining McKinsey I have participated in a number of events specifically designed to inform women about the opportunities that are open to them.