What did you do before going into consulting? Why did you make the jump? Why Bain?
I was an economist at the Central Bank of Malaysia for 3 years prior to joining Bain.
What are your passions both outside of work and at Bain? How has your team supported you with these passions?
I picked up Ceroc (modern jive) around the time I joined Bain. Dancing is something that I’ve always wanted to learn having been terrified of the dance floor as a child. My teams and mentors at Bain have been supportive of this and have made it a point to set it as my “virtual pet,” a term we use for something we care deeply about and must take care of. I’ve been able to attend almost every class and practice, even on weekdays.
Several times when I was engrossed in work, a senior manager or partner at would nudge me to ensure I don’t miss class. As a result, I’ve been able to be part of a wonderful Ceroc community (two of two are now at Bain), compete in the annual Pan-Asian Ceroc competition every year, and learned that with intentionality, it’s possible to have a very enriching personal life even with a demanding career.
Describe a case that was particularly impactful for you and tell us how you felt about it.
One of my most rewarding case experiences was when we helped a large retail player in Malaysia roll out a customer experience transformation in over 1,000 stores in 2016. This included working together with clients on interviewing customers to understand the touchpoints they experienced, designing a pilot at one of the sites, and refining and improving the program as we scaled it nationwide.
This experience showcased the best of Bain’s approach to working with our clients. We worked as a single team for a common goal with no “consultant vs. client” mentality. Seeing my clients’ success was our success and them moving on to bigger and better things within their organization is still a source of pride for me today. Additionally, this was a supportive and energizing experience that showed me the power of pragmatic solutions that are built, test and refined over time. This enabled us to quickly roll out this transformation rather than taking months to build the perfect plan. Many of us travelled together to parts of Malaysia we’d never been to before allowing us to bond and become closer as a result. We’re all still very close friends, including those who are proud Bain alumni today.
