Patrick Dupree

What has it been like transferring locations? 

Right now, I am on a two-year transfer to Bain’s Copenhagen office with my family. I have two kids and we thought this would be a great experience for everyone. I will say, my wife is a partner at a different consulting firm and requesting a transfer and moving at Bain is far easier, with far less paperwork. At other firms, it gets harder to transfer the more senior you get, but not at Bain.  

How did you wind up in the role you are in today?  

I’ve had a really interesting career journey here. I suppose everyone will say that, but I joined Bain out of Kellogg and had some ups and some real downs. I took what’s called a “take-two” after I didn’t get promoted because it was a little frustrating and I needed time to travel and think. Then about five years ago, I moved over into our Product, Practice & Knowledge (PPK) group which is responsible for internal corporate strategy and operations. I would consider this a second career within Bain. I’m not dealing with clients as much, though I’m supporting case teams behind the scenes. My team and I are building products that have generated tens of millions in run rate at this point. I’ve got lots of good stories. 

What work are you proudest of? 

The product I’m currently running, and founded, Lumi. It’s a product I’ve been thinking about for the last three years, and the answer to the question, “How do we offer telecommunications companies a look at how they and competitors are satisfying customers in a specific area?” I won’t go into the details because it’s a little industry specific, but I’m most proud of the fact that we bootstrapped it. We found the money to create a proof of concept, sold that to the client, and have been profitable every quarter since. I think it’s a great story about getting to build a product within a large company, leading teams, and expanding our work across borders and into deals we wouldn’t normally be in. As a result, I’m leading some of Bain’s own internal innovation efforts where people are always asking me, “Well how did you do that?” Probably 20% of my time is now helping others figure that out. 

What should candidates know?  

I have been able to make this job work for me at each stage of what I wanted to get out of my career, and I’ll bet you can too. First, I was in consulting, now I’m in PPK. I regularly talk about being able to find the three “legs” of your work life here. There’s intellectual stimulation, compensation, and the ability to live life and do all the non-work things you want to do. Most jobs only allow you to optimize for one leg. Some jobs, like Bain, are exceptional in that they allow you to optimize for two. No job will ever allow you to optimize for all three, but here, you can quickly switch your focus as your life evolves. It’s truly a remarkable place.