My life has always been about music. Many years ago, I cut a record deal with a label in the Netherlands and was pursuing my music career—touring for years and also recording albums, as well as writing songs for other artists.
That was an amazing journey— and during that journey, I was also studying to become a software engineer. In the free time between tours, shows and recording projects, I'd often be doing engineering work. Eventually, I started working on engineering projects on the side at a consulting company.
Connecting to McKinsey
I learned about McKinsey through my music network. I toured with an artist for a few years who has a friend at firm. When the pandemic started, I was looking for ways to stay active physically, so I joined a biking group with the two of them. The person who worked at McKinsey mentioned engineering opportunities at the firm. He is a wonderful human being, a great person—really in alignment with some of the things I was looking for in terms of culture.
So, it was a no-brainer for me to explore the opportunity, and the interview process solidified that feeling. The firm has a neat culture and supports colleagues to grow beyond their scope. That's something I hadn’t seen previously in any organization. Many organizations preach that as something they strive for. At McKinsey, it’s a standard to not only be great but to cultivate a culture that is willing to uplift others.
The work I do at McKinsey
I’m a software engineer, and my responsibility covers anything related to the cloud-based Box platform and client file sharing service (CFS). We have a CFS application, which is an internal application for firm members. This is useful for collaborating on projects with clients, whether that’s on SharePoint, Miro, or Box. We have over 30,000 users, so it’s an global project and an important application for the firm.
I’m responsible for maintaining and building features, and supporting colleagues however we can in the back end. The CFS application is one of the most memorable projects I’ve worked on, because I understand its importance for keeping documents confidential, and to collaborate seamlessly in a protected way with clients outside of the firm.
This may seem like just a sharing app, but without it, McKinsey associates wouldn't be able to do the highly impactful work we’re doing for clients across the globe. That’s exciting for me.
Freedom to collaborate and explore
One of the things I love most about working here is the collaborative process that extends beyond your specific team. I can explore projects outside of my team, areas of expertise, and practice, and can help other teams solve critical issues. I can also connect with colleagues across the firm for advice or for help solving blockers on our side. It’s created a team environment where we can continually collaborate to solve problems from a macro level to a micro level.
For example, I recently had some down time, so I was looking for ways to continue to grow and problem solve. I discovered an opportunity to get involved with another project revolving around Apigee APIs. It was great connecting with colleagues from teams all over the firm—we came together with this common interest, and now we’re currently working on an initiative to help improve on the APIs for the organization.
And that’s something that no one asked me to do: I was able to seek it out myself. We say, “Make your own McKinsey,” and it really is a thing here; you can forge your own path and choose how you want to be impactful.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives: A pleasant surprise
Inclusion is more important today than ever as we continue striving toward equity across the board. McKinsey’s commitment to that is something that's both surprising and exciting for me as I look into my own future.
I’m impressed with McKinsey’s outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, (HBCUs). I am a member of the McKinsey Black Network, a global community of colleagues and alumni committed to creating an environment where Black colleagues can advance, connect, and grow. It’s empowering to have opportunities where people of color can advance and show their value and talent in a prestigious organization like McKinsey.
About Cesar
Outside of the office, Cesar is a basketball enthusiast, a musician, and a cyclist. He loves to ride on trails and connect with nature to switch up the pace after sitting in front a computer screen all day.
He's also a foodie and a travel enthusiast—and one of the great things about McKinsey is that he gets to travel for work. "I love to see the world," he says, "and I try to take advantage of that as much as I can."