I’ve always had a passion for data and analytics. My first job after university was with a Japanese airline, helping make its marketing more efficient and effective using data and analytics.
I joined McKinsey in Tokyo because of that passion to help businesses become more efficient. Given the breadth of McKinsey’s clients, I believed I could help more businesses across industries and sectors as a consultant. I was definitely not wrong to choose McKinsey for this reason, but I never imagined the remarkable journey that would follow.
Finding what’s nearest to my heart
In my first year with the Tokyo office, I joined a project for a Japanese financial institution. We delivered an advanced analytics solution to transform how they scored risks, which was a fundamental business area. Through this project, I found my true calling: to lead business transformations using data and analytics. From discussions with colleagues and firm experts, I discovered McKinsey had analytics hubs with data scientists working on similar projects globally. At the time, McKinsey had acquired QuantumBlack, which was a UK-based start-up specializing in analytics.
Charting my path
Soon after the project concluded, I attended a firm training at which colleagues served as faculty and shared that everyone at McKinsey is encouraged to “chart his/her/their own path.” I was paired with a McKinsey Mentor who helped me think through what I wanted from my McKinsey experience. When I shared my passion for transformations and advanced analytics, I was nervous I would no longer appear like a typical management consultant. To my surprise, my mentor encouraged me to pursue my passion and connected me to a partner in the Sydney office who shared similar interests. One thing led to another, and I was soon speaking to Oliver Fleming, the COO of QuantumBlack.
By the following autumn, I was sitting in QuantumBlack’s London office to start my year-long rotation. Every day of this rotation was amazing. I worked with data engineers who built data handling pipelines, data scientists who designed and built core mathematical engines, and translators who communicated the technical details to clients using business language. Working together combined the best of the firm to deliver the best solutions. On one project with an energy sector client, our team helped the company leverage data to prioritize advanced analytics use-cases. I could combine my passion for people when we designed and delivered a series of workshops to middle management teams to train them to design the future of the business using digital technologies.
Being in London gave me a broader international perspective, serving clients across Europe. Most importantly, I worked with exceptional people who shared my interest in analytics, supported me and helped me grow.
What I’ve learned
McKinsey is truly a special place. If you voice your passions and interests, there is support and flexibility to chart your path.
More about Tony
Tony is a Tokyo-based analytics engagement manager at QuantumBlack. He holds a masters degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Cranfield University in the UK. Prior to McKinsey, Tony worked in database marketing at All Nippon Airways in Japan.
Outside of work, Tony enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, such as camping and travelling to the onsen (hot springs). He recently started to learn the drums.
For more information on McKinsey's data engineering and other tech career paths, visit mckinsey.com/TechCareers.