Barbara joined Bain as an Associate Consultant in October 2000.
What was your background when joining Bain?
"I may have a somewhat unusual background for a strategy consultant: I graduated with a Masters in Chinese Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. I then spent a year in Shanghai, China for my postgraduate degree in Chinese Economics before joining the Bain Amsterdam office. My international background has proved to be a great asset for my career at Bain: I have lived in 9 countries since the age of 10 and as a result I can now work in 6 languages."
Why did you choose Strategy Consulting?
"Why consulting as a "Chinese major"?" is a question I have been asked a lot the past years, yet for me the answer remains relatively simple. Coming out of university I was looking for a job that would teach me everything about the business world, in as little time as possible. Of course, no job does this perfectly but strategy consulting comes close. It offers an incredibly broad exposure to industries, problems and people, and I don't think any other career choice could have matched this. And even though my work has no direct link with my studies, I enjoy continuously being intellectually challenged and learning totally new things, just as I did while at university."
Why did you join Bain?
"Bain in particular attracted me because it is such an entrepreneurial place: Bainees display an unusually high level of energy and enthusiasm and get involved in a myriad of different things. This is reflected in their work attitude, but also in what they do outside their work or after they leave Bain. It is a spirit which I have found to be highly contagious, as well as incredibly motivating."
What are your experiences at Bain so far?
"When I first joined Bain the whole experience was, admittedly, quite daunting, especially because most of my colleagues had a much more quantitative background than me. But this feeling didn't last long: the two week induction training in Boston as well as the on-the-job coaching from an extremely supportive team quickly made me catch up and feel at ease with the Bain way of doing things. And this still is one of the things I appreciate most about Bain: being surrounded by a group of unusually bright people from who I continuously learn something."
"What's so great about the Benelux office is its size, we're a firm with all the resources one expects a world class firm to have, yet our office is sufficiently small so that we still manage to preserve a certain cosines. Colleagues all know each other really well and hierarchy levels are very blurred. We regularly go for drinks on Friday nights, but also organize bigger events such as sailing trips, or inter-office soccer tournaments. Also, being part of a growing and fast developing office is exciting, and allows everyone to get involved with something, be it recruiting, training, or just organizing the Christmas dinner."
What has been a memorable experience in your Bain career?
"My most interesting case so far was one in the fashion industry; we helped a major Belgian fashion house decide the direction of future investments by assessing the vitality of their brands and product ranges. Because of my language skills I was responsible for conducting interviews with trade partners across different countries, and so helped formulate the direction of the project early on. In the end, it was also extremely exciting to see our work have an impact in such a visible industry."
Can you share a personal note with recruits?
"The future looks exciting for me. This summer I will leave Bain to return to university and pursue an MBA degree. After my MBA I will transfer to one of Bain's Asian offices. It will be extremely exciting to work in one of the world's most dynamic economies, and bring together my academic and professional interests. And in between the two I still want to do lots of traveling, Africa in particular is still a region that intrigues me and which I know too little about."
Can you tell something about your life situation?
"I have lived in Amsterdam for 3 years now and thoroughly enjoy the city- it really offers everything but never becomes 'too much'. In my spare time, I am a passionate scuba diver. Of course, the North Sea is not an ideal place for diving, so I try to fit in at least one diving trip each year. This summer for example I spent two weeks exploring dive sites in the Solomon Islands- truly amazing!"
