My McKinsey adventure

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Just two months after joining McKinsey I received a thrilling call from an engagement manager from the Dubai office. He wanted me to join an international project for a client with global reach. The team needed a Spanish–speaking person to handle the Latin American side of the business, and I was the perfect fit for the position given my mix of industry experience and language ability. The proposition was very appealing. Without thinking twice, I said yes.

Xavier 1
Xavier 1

Soon, I was in London meeting the rest of the team, learning about the stakeholders, and absorbing the details of the challenge at hand. At first, I had a mix of feelings. The project was interesting and invigorating, but my inexperience due to my short time at the firm made me nervous about my ability to help in a meaningful way. Thanks to my team’s support, I quickly got comfortable with the content and, after a few talks with the client, my role on the team.

After in–depth analysis of the client’s Latin American sites, I found their pricing strategy had the most room to improve. We decided to organize workshops to build their capabilities. The next two weeks were hectic; I had multiple calls and meetings every day to prepare the documents and organize the events. Despite this, it was exciting; I learned so much about pricing techniques and the client’s business.

Xavier 2
Xavier 2

Once everything was ready, I flew to Latin America to support and oversee the sessions. The days I spent in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Peru were very rewarding and fruitful. The client was very involved, and the workshop participants were thankful for all the insights we provided. On top of that, I had loads of fun and some delicious meals. On my way back to Europe, I relaxed and already started thinking about where my next McKinsey adventure would take me.

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