Share your journey to Bain.
I'm lucky enough to have two journeys to Bain. The first was straight out of MBA where I was looking for the opportunity to learn all I could about business. The second was after a 15-year break from Bain after which I re-joined because I missed the culture, wanted to share all my knowledge about digital innovation and transformation and was eager to mentor a new generation of Bainies.
How did you know that Bain was the right company for you?
At first it was the interview process and the fact that I immediately connected with every person I met at the firm. I returned knowing how unique the culture was and eager to step back in with a new perspective and a desire to contribute to that culture.
Do you feel like you can do impactful work at Bain? What opportunities excite you?
As someone who came back into Bain to build a whole new capability it has been a journey educating my colleagues and convincing them that we can now deliver new and exciting programs for our clients. Luckily, we're succeeding and the ability to truly innovate alongside our client colleagues has been fantastic. Whether it is deeply understanding consumers' views on healthcare, innovating new ways to motivate employees via technology or starting up a whole new business for a large incumbent company, each case holds new opportunities to learn and grow.
“Build Your Own Bain” means creating a thriving career on your own terms. How have you been able to “Build Your Own Bain?”
I feel I am the epitome of this philosophy. As I returned to Bain, I was given the green light to build an entirely new digital innovation practice within the company and at each step I've been supported by colleagues and the broader organization to ensure me and my team succeed.
Share some of your favorite work (personal or professional) you’ve done while at Bain.
Two cases stand out, even though they weren't the most intensive or longest. In the first case we identified a new way to position small freezers in rural Indonesia that resulted in an almost 70% increase in sales. Working at the grassroots level and having such an impact was exciting. The second case was a fairly straightforward customer-facing application build but we delivered it alongside our client colleagues in an agile manner. Early the CEO was highly skeptical ("that team is having too much fun"). By the second month he recognized the power of the process and had us scale it across the company. Such fun.
