Seeing the effects of a basic materials engagement

By Kateryna

Kateryna joined our Kyiv office in 2016 after working for two years as a corporate finance consultant. At McKinsey, she works on exciting projects from public sector strategies to large plant operations optimization, in various industries ranging from metals and mining to media. Outside of work, Kateryna enjoys travelling, running, and theater-going. She earned her degree in international finance from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Client Work Development

September 4, 2018Hi everyone! I’ve now been at McKinsey for about two years, and for the past year, I have done mostly operational improvement projects. I like these projects because they allow me to “touch” the real production: to see how plants work every day, and to be creative in finding new ways to solve the most complicated tactical problems. The work allows me to grow professionally and—as grand as it sounds—change the world around me.

On my most recent project, I worked on improving operations for a basic materials company in Eastern Europe. The engagement started with a diagnostic to understand the current state of production. As part of this diagnostic, I went on numerous plant walk-throughs and conducted interviews with the people responsible for different production units. Through our diagnostic, we identified gaps in best practices and levers for potential improvements. This was a huge learning opportunity for me because I worked with our Basic Materials Institute, the best experts in the field.

Next, I developed a set of initiatives to reach the target state. In doing this, I worked with our experts, and led problem-solving sessions with the client. Since then, I’ve helped our client implement some of the initiatives. This is a bit different than our normal procedure, and typically our McKinsey Implementation team steps in at this point.

This engagement had a positive effect on the client’s bottom line, but the most rewarding part for me was, if fact, that we created tangible changes that benefitted the plant workers on a daily basis, and it feels good to contribute to something so positive!

Until next time,
Kateryna