Mubasher

Partner

What prompted you to investigate a career in consulting?

Before I joined McKinsey, I was a transplant physician and was becoming frustrated by how narrow and overly specialised my world was becoming. I heard about McKinsey from a friend who was working in the same lab as me. My investigations went through many phases. At first I was sceptical, not quite sure of who McKinsey was and what they did. After I got through that, I was intrigued by the possibility of doing something constantly different and changing. As I went through the recruitment process, what really excited me was just how interesting the work was, as well as how cool the people were.

What has been your biggest challenge while at McKinsey?

A challenge that I share with many people both within and outside of McKinsey is finding balance. Especially within the firm, we are often juggling the many things one could do given the range of clients, industries, geographies, and types of work. That level of choice is a blessing and a curse. The key is to find balance and not overstretch. I've achieved this by doing the things that interest me most; that's my compass. The firm makes that entirely feasible—you're rarely just told to do things.

What has been your greatest moment of satisfaction while at McKinsey?

I think it's less the 'big bang' and more the small frequent moments of satisfaction: finding a genuinely new way of looking at a problem—that counterintuitive insight that might be 180 degrees opposed to conventional wisdom—or seeing people you work with doing something really well when they never thought they could.

What have you gained from working at McKinsey? What training and support have you received since starting?

I've learnt a lot from the formal training, but even more so from what the day to day teaches. In being asked to do something that you think may be impossible (or at least very difficult) alongside talented people, you can't help but learn.

What have you been working on recently?

Most of my work is with biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies, primarily in research and development, but also commercial. I find it interesting how science, medicine, strategy, and finance all flow together. The science of the discovery of new medicines, for example, needs to be tested against what is needed clinically but also needs to be able to make money, give a company a competitive advantage, and incorporate trade-offs in the investments required to bring that product to market. We're also always trying to think seven to ten years ahead, as many of the products we're dealing with won't be on the market until then.

How did you decide to accept your offer from McKinsey?

It took a few sleepless nights! Coming from being a frontline clinician, switching required a lot of thought. It was the opportunity to live a completely different life but with a core of things I enjoyed, as well as some new ingredients. That's what swayed the debate in my mind. I thought I could bring a valuable piece of the puzzle to the table with my medical background, which in many ways complements the skills of my colleagues.

How did you manage the transition from your previous career or education to McKinsey?

The first six months were difficult, particularly coming from a situation where as a physician you are in charge and have a tremendous body of accumulated knowledge behind you. When I joined McKinsey I was one of the most junior people on the team, and that was hard. But one of the things that I wanted was a challenging new take, and you can't have a challenge without some element of discomfort. I made it through because people were understanding and supportive.

The difference between medicine and consulting is fascinating. In medicine, decisions are almost black and white (e.g., you have an infection or you don't), whereas the decisions and issues that I tackle now are much more subtle and complex, often with many levels to consider and in most cases, demanding innovation. I've found the McKinsey work to be more satisfying intellectually. In many ways I feel I am making more of a change now than I was then. The clients we serve and decisions we influence often impact hundreds or thousands of people.

What are your long-term goals?

I guess it would be to have enough freedom to do the things that interest me and that I'm good at. Right now, that's here at McKinsey. In a couple of years' time, who knows? One of the good things about being here is that it helps open doors.