Thomas Gerber

How’d you end up working at Bain? 

In university, I heard about Bain from various recruiting events and then again from classmates who’d started there. I applied as an intern and I loved the experience. Being part of an international group where everyone comes from a different country but shares a common way of thinking was exciting. It was also remarkable being part of a global firm where everyone is so eager to learn and have an impact.  

After my internship, I got an offer to start full-time as a consultant where I discovered my passion for the combination of strategy and finance which fit well with my background in engineering and my MBA. One of the first things I worked on was an intellectual property (IP) project on the corporate finance team where we developed tools, like a capital market benchmarking tool—a total shareholder return (TSR) diagnostic. I didn’t know it then, but it would shape my later career.  

After some years of consulting, I took an opportunity to work at an investment fund in Brazil. It gave me an opportunity to learn about corporate finance from the investor side. My wife is also from Brazil and while there, we got married. 

What was it like returning to Bain?    

After seven months in Brazil, I had really improved my Portuguese and we were ready to return home. I returned to working at Bain, which was very welcoming. Bain values people gathering various outside experiences like I had at the investment firm and bringing that back. 

How have you changed roles here?  

After a while of consulting, I changed to an internal practice role. I would say it was a very easy process, and it’s allowed me to focus more on the topics I am most passionate about. It also allows me to spend more time with my daughter. 

What became of that capital benchmarking tool? 

I would say the most rewarding impact I have had on an IP project remains the TSR diagnostic. Nine teams at Bain now offer that as a service to our clients. It helps them run capital market-based benchmarks to identify levers to get the full potential from investments, and it has helped Bain sell many projects.