I joined the sustainability buddies team in Hong Kong during the summer of 2019. We worked on a strategy project for a China-based climate change non-profit organization. During the eight-week project, we helped the client develop a new mission and vision, strategic goals, and corresponding initiatives.
The work was exciting for me and the project was meaningful for my development. The partners and project manager taught me so much and gradually gave me more responsibility and work. It was a process of learning and gaining confidence.
The team is full of advocates for climate change and environmental protection, and they changed my perception on adopting green and sustainable ways of working. I started to become aware of the little things we can do to create a sustainable way of life.
Expanding the sustainability community
I built strong relationships with team members from that project, and we grew the community within the firm.
During the project, we started a new initiative in the Greater China region called “Green Team,” which creates an environmentally-friendly workplace in our offices and projects. It attracted colleagues across China who share a passion in Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance.
The shared belief in sustainability has driven positive action. For example, you won’t find any bottled water in the Greater China offices, and most of the stationary and charting paper are made from environmentally-friendly materials.
The people make McKinsey great
When asked what colleagues like best about McKinsey, why we stay, or what alumni miss when they leave, most say the people in the firm and I can’t agree more.
As with every workplace and every career, you will experience ups and downs, but at McKinsey, you will find a group of like-minded and inspirational people to support you. For me, the quality of work we do and the quality of people I work with make me glad I joined McKinsey.
More about Stephen
Stephen is an associate in the Shanghai office. He holds a bachelor’s in management and a master’s in management information systems from the London School of Economics. At McKinsey, Stephen’s work focuses on global energy and materials, manufacturing & supply chain, and banking & securities.