My first job was working at public services while I studied business administration at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It was an interesting experience and during the job I noticed huge inefficiencies, and I imagined that there must be a better way to run internal processes, hence my passion was sparked to improve management in the public sector. At the end of my undergraduate studies, I joined McKinsey as a business analyst in São Paulo, and I tested my passion in various projects in the public sector, which ranged from education to sustainability and even led me to Angola for a six–month engagement. I also engaged with a partnership called Ashoka–McKinsey, where consultants support social entrepreneurs, and I fell passionate for social entrepreneurship.
When I finished my stint, McKinsey gave me the opportunity to do a secondment for the City Hall of São Paulo and I initiated along others the investment attraction agency for the city, working with public private partnerships, economic development, and more, and became even more intent on developing into a leader in the public and social sectors. With that end in mind, I started my MBA at Kellogg, where I joined classes of public policies, led social impact activities and also spent my summer MBA in Uganda, working to improve the management practices of a social entrepreneurship organization. In that role, I combined what I had learned at McKinsey with what I was learning in my MBA. I realized that was a powerful combination and thought I could do something similar for Brazilian organizations in my home country.
When I returned to the firm in 2016 I was able to continue to follow my passion for the public and social sector, using the ‘make your own McKinsey’ motto. I co–founded with a group of socially minded colleagues the Social Impact Group, which supports NGOs and social entrepreneurs with volunteer consulting and provides opportunities for office colleagues to join volunteering/donation initiatives. The group was extremely well received by the office leadership, which provided support and guidance for us. Later on, I had the chance to join the McKinsey Corporate Social Responsibility global team and build with them the best practices for the firm in terms of social impact. Anything is possible here if you take the lead. I’ve been able to explore and enjoy several opportunities I wouldn’t have anywhere else. I’m thankful to the Firm for enabling me to do the best work.