I have lived in a lot of different places and have discovered new things about myself in each. I like to think my experiences have given me the perspective I need to make the kind of impact I want to leave on the world—even if I never expected it to come in the form of mining.
My current journey of self-discovery and professional success began in South Africa, where my family relocated after living in the Congo until I was 13 years old. We arrived in South Africa just one year after apartheid ended, so it was truly a unique experience. In fact, we stayed much longer than we planned, and my mother still lives there to this day.
As much as I adored South Africa, I craved a different experience. I moved to Atlanta after finishing university in Brussels to pursue the American dream. Unfortunately, that dream was cut short by the 9/11 tragedy, so I returned to Brussels to complete a Master's degree in financial risk management. After my first job in business with a company that went bankrupt, I decided I needed something more stable— that's when I discovered McKinsey.
Initially I intended to work in banking at McKinsey– until I met my mentor, who needed assistance with their mining work. How could I say no, especially when the job required me to go back to South Africa, where my family was?
To my pleasant surprise, “mining” wasn’t referring to the dark, underground work of coal mining — it was management work with our Metals and Mining practice.
As energizing as that role was for me, I left the firm in 2007 for personal reasons, and my husband and I decided to move to Switzerland (his homeland). I worked for a local Swiss company after having my daughter in 2008, however, I did not see a way to carve the path I wanted at that organization. I decided to re-join McKinsey when the opportunity presented itself.
My focus now is on creating an impact for clients, mostly in the space of sustainability in metals and mining. I consider myself privileged to be working towards reducing the carbon footprint of a high CO2 emitting industry. The work that I am doing now is twofold – I’m a member of the Sustainable Materials Hub, which aims at supporting both producers and consumers of different raw materials when it comes to decarbonizing products. I'm also working to advance the knowledge priorities of the larger Global Energy and Materials and Sustainability practices in order to more consciously deal with the raw materials required for the energy transition.
Within all this work comes a great deal of time and energy I’m pouring into the communities that are directly impacted by the industries I’m serving. This is why I consider it important to ensure I’m devoting myself, just as much to the communities that do the same for me.
When I was first hired in Brussels, I was the only Black person, however now, our McKinsey Black Network (MBN) across Europe has grown, and I'm very thankful to have this community. This group is a safe space for people with diverse backgrounds, which I believe can be greatly impacted by continued coaching and mentorship opportunities. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about uplifting others. When you reach the top, you must help those who are still climbing.
Though I’ve been away from my home country for such a long time, sometimes I feel like I could find a sense of belonging in any place in the world. But it’s so refreshing to know that there’s one place—in my career – that I can bring my whole self to work and know I’ll be accepted.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t see a Black person – I see a human being.
And what I find amazing is that if I look at the past couple of years—pretty much since the tragedy of George Floyd—things have changed for me as a Black person. I feel like I'm not just Black—I feel like I am being seen as a human being. So I'm very glad that the firm places a priority on diversity. It makes a huge difference. I'm not sure I can really explain it, but being seen as a person just makes a huge difference.
I want every Black person who comes into the firm to have the same experience. That is why I am so passionate about advocating for diversity. And while it’s important to hire diverse profiles at all levels, it’s meaningless if they don’t have the opportunities to rise from the bottom to the top.
Living in Switzerland, we have quite high mountains that I love being on top of. And when you look at the world from the top, you can’t help but think about how small you are and how beautiful things are from that perspective. I want everyone at McKinsey to join me on the mountaintop and cherish the journey while doing so.