How a nontraditional path led to a career in consulting
How a nontraditional path led to a career in consulting
A consultant in our London office shares how her background in medicine and art shaped her consulting career at Bain
Peng Yao, a consultant in our London office, didn’t have a business background before becoming a consultant. With a background in both in medicine and fine art, she’s always followed her curiosity about people and how they see the world. In this Q&A, she shares how those experiences shape her consulting career at Bain and what helped her make the leap from medicine to management consulting.
Careers don’t have to be a straight line; they can zig zag and still make perfect sense because each chapter adds something unique to how you see and solve problems.
Peng
Consultant
What led you from medicine and fine arts to consulting?
I’ve always been drawn to learning and trying new things. Medicine appealed to me because I was deeply curious about people—understanding how their experiences connect with what’s happening in their bodies—and I loved the problem-solving and impact involved.
Art came from that same curiosity. During my year studying Fine Art at Oxford, my work explored how memories and imagination shape identity. Over time, I realized I wanted to bring those worlds together and combine creativity and problem-solving to make an impact on a broader scale.
I first came across consulting during a social enterprise hackathon. The consultants running the workshop impressed me with their curiosity, intelligence, and the way they could connect ideas across completely different fields. That’s when I decided to explore management consulting further, and every Bainie I met afterward stood out for their warmth and genuine focus on people and culture.
Before joining Bain, Peng explored her passion for creativity through fine art.
What was it like adapting to consulting life?
Bain London team members show their creativity at an office event, dressing up as different London Underground stations.
In many ways, consulting felt familiar. Conducting an expert call was much like taking a patient history, and having an answer first approach felt like forming an initial hypothesis about what’s going on with a patient. Piecing together research and data to support market growth assumptions felt like sorting through test results and patient notes to guide an investigation or treatment plan.
Of course, some things were new, like learning business concepts and tools (including Excel and Bain’s PowerPoint Toolbox), but there’s strong support for that learning on the job.
The biggest shift for me was moving from a public healthcare system, where everyone follows the same path, to a world where you advocate for yourself as an individual. In medicine, progression is structured; in consulting, you build mentors and sponsors and navigate growth more independently. That was a completely new skill, but also a really empowering one.
How did Bain support your career transition?
The mentorship culture at Bain made all the difference. When I first joined, I couldn’t understand how you could possibly need to have professional development (PD) chats every other week. I quickly realized how valuable they were, not just for improving at work, but for reflecting on what’s important to me and learning from others’ experiences.
People at Bain are so generous with their time. There’s always someone willing to grab a coffee, share advice, or check in. I’ve been lucky to have mentors who guided, challenged, and encouraged me when I needed it, and to have people champion me along the way. There’s a genuine culture of support here; people want you to succeed and do it in your own way.
How have your experiences in medicine and the arts shaped how you approach your work at Bain?
Medicine taught me empathy and teamwork: how to stay calm under pressure, prioritize when everything feels urgent, and support colleagues on tough days. From art, I learned to embrace ambiguity, lean into experimentation, and trust my intuition.
Those experiences have shaped how I approach consulting at Bain. It has made me a better listener, a clearer communicator, and a more thoughtful teammate focused on collaboration where everyone feels valued and heard.
What would you tell someone who doesn’t see themselves as having a “typical” consulting background?
Your path is your superpower! Careers don’t have to be a straight line; they can zig zag and still make perfect sense because each chapter adds something unique to how you see and solve problems.
To anyone considering a career pivot, I’d say trust that the skills and experiences you bring will translate. Consulting is one of the best places to bring all of that together.
Curious where your unique path could take you?
Explore how your background and skills can thrive at Bain.
