Will on an Australian beach
I’m a native Texan. I care deeply about individual independence, protecting nature, community values, and promoting Texan culture, including advocating for the widespread use of “y’all”, which is English’s supreme 2nd-person plural pronoun.
Growing up
I was raised in Austin, Texas, where I spent my childhood, mostly barefoot, on the trails, lakes, and rivers of the Texas hill country. I grew to love the outdoors and time spent hiking and swimming with my friends and family. There’s no better feeling than swapping stories at a campsite, sharing a picnic lunch at the peak of a trail, or playing Rush albums on a road trip.
My love for nature led to curiosity to better understand the natural world and I decided to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. As I continued to take family road trips, visit national parks like Olympic, Gros Morne, and Big Bend, it became clear I should make a career out of it by the time I graduated.
Finding McKinsey
As I was finishing my studies, I learned McKinsey hired engineers and offered international experience, careers with purpose, and had a Sustainability practice. That was all the convincing I needed to apply. I knew I could make a difference on our incredible planet through a role with the firm.
McKinsey is a global firm, but it’s a little bit Texan too, as it relates to individual independence, protecting our planet, and community values:
Individual independence
“Make your own McKinsey” is our informal way of saying take charge of your career trajectory. For me that meant autonomy in my job and international work experience. So far, I chose to spend a third of my McKinsey career outside of the US, mostly in Asia Pacific. Most recently, I led an operations transformation in Singapore, South Korea, and Australia.
As a fellow in McKinsey’s Sustainability practice, I specialize in helping organizations abate the impact of climate change, mitigate climate risk, and decarbonize operations. I’ve worked with companies to enable the growth of solar capacity by reducing the cost to install panels and with mining organizations to assess and act on climate risks. At the moment, I’m developing our Firm’s perspective on what it would take to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Will sitting on motorcycle in Italy
Community values
I’m always amazed by the incredible community of people I call my colleagues. Authenticity, respect, and responsibility are core Texan values and core values at McKinsey. My colleagues make this place feel like home and make me excited to come to the office each day.
Outside of the office, my favorite community event is the annual McKinsey Music Festival in Kitzbühel, Austria, where I play guitar in the acoustic band. More than 200 colleagues come from across the globe to connect through our love of music. We spend the long weekend rehearsing, performing, and recording music, and taking in the beautiful Austrian countryside during late summer.
About Will:
Will is an engagement manager based in the Houston office. He has a background in semiconductor manufacturing and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. In his free time, Will hikes the national parks of America, rides motorcycles through foreign countries, and records Americana music in his amateur home recording studio.