Driving meaningful change at McKinsey

My role at McKinsey

Stefanie Mazur
Stefanie Mazur

I am managing our advanced industries capabilities and insights (C&I) team in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. My responsibilities are twofold: I make sure that as a team, we are aligned with our firm and practice priorities, and that our high level of expertise is deployed in the right way. On the other hand, I am also taking care of our team members’ individual development. Are they working on things they are passionate about? Do they have the right learning opportunities? What can I do to enable sustainable careers? And finally, and very important, in a hybrid team set-up I focus on how we can stay connected and how do we -as a team- have fun doing what we do.

Joining McKinsey’s Client Capabilities Network

I accidentally stumbled across a McKinsey job posting on a job platform and after reading it, thought this is exactly what I want to be doing. I applied for a capabilities and insights (C&I) role with our German geographic team, which allowed me to fully leverage my skills and interests as a trained economist. It felt like the best of both worlds, joining a large, global firm and still do macroeconomic analysis.

After a while, I got to know the broader Client Capabilities Network and decided to try something new. I joined the advanced electronics practice, a little outside my comfort zone, and suddenly found myself working on things like industrial automation and renewable power generation equipment, meaningful challenges, very on demand.

Contributing to meaningful change

What keeps me excited every day are the topics we work on, both, the variety and the fact that these topics affect our daily lives and can truly make a difference. For example, what will mobility look like in the future? How can we use technology to make our buildings more sustainable? Which is the most promising technology to facilitate energy transition and what does it mean for companies working in that space? How can we make a difference to help companies deal with and solve the semiconductor chip shortage?

On the other hand, of course, I enjoy the people I work with every day. Managing a diverse, multi-talented team in which everyone brings their various skills and passions to the table and helping them build sustainable, long-term, exciting careers - that’s something energizing.

I remember once supporting an industrial client whose traditional business model was deteriorating due to rapid technological advancement of a new type of competing product. We helped the client over several months to explore new ways of creating business and finally, together with the client team, were able to shift gears. Looking at the company today, it is very successful in its new way of operating. However, those are some of the big wins.

In my role, it is also a lot about the smaller moments. Sometimes it is just a phone call or grabbing coffee with someone from my team to discuss certain challenges and ask the right questions. Being approachable as a manager can make the biggest difference for people.

Opportunities for learning and development

The learning opportunities at McKinsey are manifold. In addition to a standard learning journey, you also get the option to choose from a wide range of trainings, starting with practical Excel and PowerPoint tips and tricks, but also softer skills. I personally enjoy the trainings where you have a mix of team management elements as well as reflection on your own development. This allows you to really step back from and gain some perspective on the bigger picture and the next steps.

Stefanie’s advice

I believe you can only be successful in an environment where you can be yourself and follow your passion. Luckily, McKinsey offers so many opportunities that you can find the right place based on your skills, interests and passions. And what I see as a big advantage of the C&I team is the fact that we not only share the passion for advanced industries, but also office space. Having the option of co-locating with your colleagues really accelerates the exchange of different thoughts and ideas.

Outside of work

I really enjoy baking and teaching it to my daughter, who was already a natural before her second birthday. I may need to clean up quite the mess in the kitchen afterwards, but that’s not only her fault. It’s also a hobby my colleagues benefit from.

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