Maddie Jacka

Share your journey to Bain.

Before Bain, I spent seven years working in luxury hospitality management across Australia, Thailand, and the United States. When COVID hit, it was a particularly challenging time for the hospitality industry. I took the opportunity to complete an MBA at AGSM @ UNSW in Sydney and pivoted into consulting, joining Bain as an MBA hire.

How did you know that Bain was the right company for you?

During my MBA, I had the chance to engage with several consulting firms through various forums. In every interaction, the people from Bain stood out—they were friendly, supportive, and genuinely down to earth. That consistency made a lasting impression.

Do you feel like you can do impactful work at Bain? What opportunities excite you?

Absolutely. At Bain, we help clients tackle their most pressing challenges. Recently, there's been a major focus on how companies can successfully integrate AI into their businesses. This challenge isn’t limited to just technology—it spans the entire enterprise and must be approached from multiple dimensions. Projects like these are both exciting and industry-leading.

“Build Your Own Bain” means creating a thriving career on your own terms. How have you been able to “Build Your Own Bain?”

Everyone at Bain has a unique journey, working across different clients, teams, industries, and capabilities. There are also incredible opportunities for externships, MBA sponsorships, and global transfers. Personally, I was able to work on a nine-month project in Mongolia, commuting to Singapore in between to spend more time with my long-distance partner. That kind of flexibility is what "Build Your Own Bain" is all about.

Share some of your favorite work (personal or professional) you’ve done while at Bain.

One of my most memorable experiences was working on a remote mine site in Mongolia, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse myself in a completely different culture and work environment. I’ve also had the chance to meet incredible people at Bain, both in Australia and across our global offices, many of whom have become lifelong friends.

What is the culture of the Sydney office like? What made you choose this office?

I initially chose the Sydney office for its amazing weather and beautiful beaches. After nearly three years here, I can confidently say that the culture is incredibly social and fun. Fridays are a highlight, we typically work from the office and wrap up the week with “cake of the week” and a glass of wine with colleagues.

How has Bain supported you in your career and helped you Be More? 

The cross-office and global training programs have been standout experiences for me. I’ve met fantastic people from around the world while exploring new cities and cultures. From day one, Bain pairs you with both a mentor and a buddy, which has been invaluable, I learn so much from them every time we catch up.

Do you have any work or a project that allowed you to Build at Bain? What was it and why was it so impactful? What are you most proud of about this work/project?

We partnered with an Australian not-for-profit to help them completely turn their business around, delivering net growth in sponsors for the first time since 2007 (17 years!). These exceptional results were driven by improvements across three key areas:

1. Increasing acquisition through tactical “no-regrets” UI/UX, behavioral, and functional changes to the digital sponsorship journey.
2. Reducing churn by redesigning processes to enhance the customer experience.
3. Transforming ways of working across the organization to unlock full potential.

It was incredibly rewarding to work on a project with such meaningful impact, and to see it deliver real, measurable change for a worthy cause.