BCG strives to be the very best place for women who want a career in professional services and considers attracting and retaining top female talent key to its advantage. The Women's Initiative helps to recruit the best available female talent for the firm and retain and advance current BCG women through effective management of their careers.
Through the Women's Initiative, BCG women find a formal and informal network of mentors and role models within the firm, attend quarterly women-only events in their local offices, and participate in regional Women's Initiative Conferences.
Hans-Paul Bürkner, BCG's CEO, leads the global Women's Initiative. He is assisted by three partners: Mary Barlow in the Asia Pacific region; Sharon Marcil in the Americas; and Juliane Kronen in Europe.
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 Sharon Marcil
Partner & Managing Director
Washington, D.C.
Why do you believe women are such an important asset to BCG?
Women are a key part of the talent pool. BCG needs to get its fair share of women to be successful, and getting more than its fair share creates opportunities for competitive advantage. more
What leadership opportunities are available at BCG?
BCG offers many leadership opportunities for women and men in client and nonclient settings. Very early in my tenure I was meeting with CEOs of top companies, discussing their challenges and opportunities.
I also have had many internal leadership roles. For example, I led recruiting for the Washington office as a first-year project leader, guided the buildout of the then new D.C. office, and headed the D.C. career development process. More recently, I have been leading the America's Women's Initiative and the Global Packaged Goods practice.
All of these leadership roles have been tenure-appropriate and have allowed me not only to help clients change but also to help manage BCG.
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 Juliane Kronen
Partner & Managing Director
Cologne
What has BCG done to help you network and build relationships with other women?
There are numerous formal and informal opportunities to get to know BCG women. For example, when a new consultant joins the firm, she is assigned a more senior female buddy to help her adjust to life at BCG. At the local-office level, we hold recreational events such as female-consultant dinners and wellness weekends and more formal leadership seminars at which we invite female alumnae or former clients to speak. At the regional level, we organize an annual women's initiative off site for experienced consultants.
Finally, many regional activities such as training sessions and practice area meetings hold a women's breakfast or similar networking event to help women who share similar interests connect with each other. more
How does BCG manage personal development?
BCG gives you the opportunity to develop a broad set of skills quickly. Consultants learn to adapt to new client situations and resolve challenging business problems in a highly effective, efficient manner.
When I start a new client engagement, I don't have all of the answers, but I am confident that I can structure a plan to meet the client's key challenges. The learning at BCG comes at tremendous speed and is much more than could be achieved in other career options.
What leadership opportunities are available at BCG?
From day one, consultants take leadership positions on their project teams and in client relationships. As tenure with the firm progresses, consultants take on increasing responsibility in their local-office and practice area roles. BCG is about taking action—if there is a topic you would like to learn about, you just do it.
How has BCG supported your learning and professional growth?
Throughout my eleven years at BCG, I have been encouraged by my colleagues and mentors to tackle new challenges. When I was a second-year consultant, my practice area supported me in a new role as an IT specialist, sending me in place of more experienced consultants to talk with clients about BCG's expertise in IT. As a new partner, I was pushed to take on new clients and leads and helped to live up to my potential.
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 Mary Barlow
Partner & Managing Director
Melbourne
What leadership opportunities are available at BCG?
BCG provides endless opportunities to play a leadership role from the earliest stages of a career. All are encouraged to use their personal initiative and assert leadership in areas they are passionate about. This can range from giving formal presentations and supporting our pro bono work to organizing internal and external events—both serious and fun. more
Why do you believe women are such an important asset to BCG?
Women are a critical asset for BCG because we strive to attract the very best people, and key to that is attracting our fair share of the female talent pool. Women bring special qualities to the consulting role that our clients particularly value, including their insight, sensitivity, and ability to build strong interpersonal relationships.
What has BCG done to help you network and build relationships with other women?
BCG has created a network of female professionals in Australia. We convene forums in which women can socialize, listen to guest speakers, and engage in debate on issues and opportunities pertaining to women in industry, the public sector, and the community.
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The LGBT Network at BCG aims to recruit, retain and develop lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender talent for BCG's global offices. Its three primary functions are to:
- Provide a global support network for the company's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender staff
- Assist in outreach efforts to prospective LGBT candidates by sharing with them the company's LGBT policies and supportive work environment
- Raise awareness of LGBT issues within BCG
Launched in 1997 under the direction of BCG senior partner and managing director Tom Wurster, the LGBT Network quickly has grown to global status, currently including consultants representing each of BCG's geographic regions and working in a variety of industry and functional topics. The network's internal activities include:
- An annual global retreat to build community within the group, review recent progress, and establish goals for the upcoming year
- Quarterly information-sharing conference calls to reconnect and address current issues
- A mentoring system to offer constant support throughout the year
The network also holds outreach dinners for LGBT candidates at top business schools each year and proudly sponsors the annual Reaching-Out MBA and Out for Undergraduate Business conferences.
In 2007, BCG was recognized as a "Best Place to Work" in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality index. The scoring focused on criteria such as an organization's policies on non-discrimination toward sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, domestic partner benefits, and internal group support. Our perfect score of 100 reflects the firm's ongoing commitment to ensure that individuals at BCG succeed regardless of sexual orientation.
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 Tom Wurster
Senior Partner & Managing Director
Los Angeles
Why is this intiative so important to BCG?
BCG benefits from diversity—such initiatives are core to BCG's overall values and culture, and to our business model. The LGBT further solidifies and secures BCG's position with a critical talent pool of gay and lesbian employees and potential employees. more
Why did you decide to be a leader in this initiative?
Playing a leadership role in the LGBT stemmed from a personal choice to be openly gay at BCG and a desire to help others feel supported in that choice. I thought I could be a role model or mentor for other gay and lesbian employees.
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 Lars Uwe Luther
Partner & Managing Director
Berlin
Why should a gay person consider applying to BCG?
First, I think this is not a question of being gay or not. One should apply to BCG because of a desire to work in a demanding, challenging, but also highly rewarding and interesting service profession. Beyond that, I believe that BCG is a perfect place for gays and lesbians to work. Although sexual orientation is regarded as a nonissue in terms of career decisions and the like (and not only in policies!), BCG offers a warm and open working atmosphere in which respect for the individual is deeply rooted in the company culture. What more could one ask for? more
Why is the LGBT initiative important to BCG? The LGBT is an important platform for internal networking and mentoring. I have been approached several times already by new (gay) recruits who needed some orientation. It's good for "newbies" to know that there are gay people around and that there is someone to talk with about being out, in the office and with clients. Has being gay been an issue for you at BCG? Yes, but in a very positive sense. I remember two occasions very clearly. One was in my early days with BCG. It was during a project event when I was chatting with one of our partners. He asked me whether I had a girlfriend, and I told him, "No, I have a boyfriend." I got this astonished look, and he paused for just two seconds. Then he proceeded normally, and we talked about my boyfriend as we would have if I had had a girlfriend.
The other occasion was during a feedback session with one of my consultants. He told me that he really appreciated my openness about being gay and said that it made him very comfortable in working with me. He talked about a good friend of his who is not open in the workplace and who brings women to social functions, which, he said, made this guy inauthentic in personal conversations.
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 B. Scott Davis
Principal
Atlanta
Has being gay been an issue for you at BCG?
Being gay and "out" at BCG has been a very positive and impactful experience for me. Prior to business school, I worked in a manufacturing environment and then in sales for an industrial textile company. The atmosphere was very different and not very accepting compared to what BCG has shown me a work environment can be.
BCG's basic model is built on leveraging the creativity, experiences and ideas from a wide range of individuals. This is in the basic fiber of the firm—part of our DNA. Because of this, everyone at BCG is very open to learning from one another. In the process of reaching insights and having significant impact for our clients, there are no boundaries based on tenure, age, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.
If anything, I believe that being gay at BCG has been beneficial to my career. I am more conscious of the needs from the diverse group of individuals with whom I work. I believe that my openness to others in being gay allows me to be present 100 percent as myself which in turn allows those with whom I'm working to feel free to be 100 percent of themselves—removing these barriers enables us to reach richer solutions in a more relaxed environment.
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Why should a gay person consider applying to BCG?
BCG embraces diversity in many different forms. The impact that we have with our clients is based on a tapestry of different experiences, ideas and viewpoints. Because of this, the culture is very open and accepting. BCG is also a meritocracy, where one is rewarded for his/her contributions. I have also found this to be the same in working with our clients—that they are interesting in having curious, creative individuals working with them to solve their key business problems. Additionally, the LGBT Network within BCG provides a formal and an informal connection to other LGBT members around the globe. Through the network, we are able to provide additional mentors beyond those in your local office, work together on recruiting, attend events with other professional LGBT colleagues and discuss key issues regarding the LGBT community during our annual retreat.
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The North American Black Diversity Initiative operates both on campuses and within BCG. In conjunction with historically black colleges and black student organizations, initiative members have developed career and interviewing workshops. Within BCG, initiative members have held annual retreats and organized development committees for consultants and principals to address the challenges and opportunities for African Americans in the consulting industry and at BCG.
Simply stated, the North American Black Diversity Initiative seeks to
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Recruit, develop, build affiliation among, and retain a mix of consultants and associates to make the BCG work force representative of the pools from which we recruit
- Find and create opportunities to build on the strengths and uniqueness of black professionals through client service
- Contribute to the black community through pro bono work that uses skills developed at BCG
This initiative was launched in 1999 under the direction of Larry Shulman, BCG senior partner and managing director. The following year, James H. Lowry, a distinguished leader in diversity efforts and a pioneer consultant on the topic of minority business and ethnic marketing, joined BCG; he has since become intimately involved in the support of this initiative.
 Jim Lowry
Senior Advisor
Chicago
What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity has always been a part of my life and an integral component of my personal philosophical beliefs. I strongly believe that all individuals are unique and their skills and experiences should be used uniquely. more
Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
Leveraging my experiences, products, and services with BCG's outstanding cadre of consultants, I felt we can effect societal change.
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 Bruce Holley
Partner & Managing Director
New York
Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
On a professional level, diversity creates the greatest opportunity to generate original insight for our clients by providing multiple perspectives to understand, define, and ultimately solve a problem. As a result, BCG's goal of seeking out and fostering diversity is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing as well.more
What does diversity mean to you? For me, diversity in the workplace is the coexistence of differing capabilities, cognitive styles, backgrounds, and experiences, sometimes in harmony, sometimes not. Diversity creates an environment I can thrive in. It pushes me constantly to challenge existing notions of how things are and how they can be made better. Simply put, diversity draws the best out of me and is a core part of my values.
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 Reggie Gilyard
Principal
Los Angeles
Why did you decide to be a leader in this initiative?
It was clear to me that the leadership and the culture of BCG would support this effort. BCG is exemplary as a firm that supports those who are willing to take the time to pursue what is important to them and valuable to the company.
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Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
BCG's heritage and competitive advantage are steeped in innovation and creativity. A diverse work force—our primary asset—is the most promising mechanism for advancing that advantage, given the broad range of perspectives that a diverse work force brings.
What does diversity mean to you?For me, diversity is a mix of races, cultures, genders, and sexual preferences. A "diverse company" values such a mix in the makeup of its internal work force and external relationships with its community, suppliers, affiliates, and others.
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 Nneka Rimmer
Principal
Chicago
Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
Success at BCG is two-fold; it's about making ourselves and our clients better. By recognizing the importance of a diverse workforce and truly appreciating diversity in all of its forms, we are more able to develop, reward, and maintain the best possible BCG teams. That, in turn, enables us to create better insights for our clients.
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What does diversity mean to you?
I consider diversity to be the inclusion of different people, experiences, ideas, and outlooks in the process of developing a solution. At BCG, that means different races, genders, cultures, attitudes, experiences—I could go on and on. Any variety in perspectives can, and will, contribute to making a diverse working environment. However, what I think is even more important, and what makes BCG unique, is that here diversity is more than the inclusion of different perspectives-it's the appreciation of them.
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The U.S. Hispanic Initiative works to recruit, develop, and retain Hispanic talent for BCG's offices in the United States. Launched in 2000, the initiative seeks to build awareness of BCG and consulting in general among Hispanics born and/or raised in the United States. Within BCG, initiative members have participated in annual diversity retreats and organized office development committees to mentor and develop our U.S. Hispanic consulting staff.
Moving forward, the U.S. Hispanic initiative will focus on
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Increasing awareness on campus (M.B.A. and undergrad) of our efforts to recruit, develop, and retain Hispanic consulting staff by holding undergraduate and graduate dinners, events, and workshops focused on the challenges and opportunities for Hispanic men and women within the consulting industry and at BCG
- Engaging our Hispanic staff with our client service efforts in Hispanic and multicultural marketing in the United States
- Partnering with the North American Black Diversity Initiative to identify opportunities to commit ourselves to black and Hispanic community development
This initiative was started under the direction of Larry Shulman, BCG senior partner and managing director. James H. Lowry, a distinguished leader in diversity efforts and a pioneer consultant on the topic of minority business and ethnic marketing, has since become intimately involved in the support of this initiative.
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 Antonio Riera
Senior
Partner & Managing Director
Boston
Why did you decide to be a leader in this initiative?
I decided to support the initiative because it is important for recruits at all levels to know that BCG is a true meritocracy, where promotion and recognition are attained on the basis of what you deliver both personally and professionally.
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Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
We have untapped opportunities to attract and retain top talent while achieving a richer mix consistent with the mix of executives in the firms we serve.
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 Danny Friedman
Partner & Managing Director
Los Angeles
What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity describes an environment where individuals from multiple backgrounds create a unique ambiance in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and, in which each individual feels free to express his or her views, beliefs, and preferences.more
Why is this initiative so important to BCG? BCG has a wonderful culture based on respect for the individual. Yet we have not been able to reach the level of diversity that we'd like. One of our great strengths is producing creative insights to solve challenging problems. I strongly believe greater diversity contributes to collective creativity.
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 Alex Ulanov
Principal
New York
What does diversity mean to you?
To me, diversity means understanding the strength of difference.
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Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
BCG's strength lies in its people. As an organization, we thrive on the harmonization of our different beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences. Any initiative that deepens our commitment to developing the best people in the consulting industry will only strengthen our ability to generate insight for our clients.
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 Gus Antorcha
Partner & Managing Director
New York
What does diversity mean to you?
For me, diversity means creating an environment in which all people are appreciated and respected for their qualities as individuals.
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Why is this initiative so important to BCG?
BCG has been successful in attracting and retaining uniquely talented individuals. As we continue to grow, it is critical that we continue to attract the best and the brightest. To do so, we need to attract people from all types of backgrounds.
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BCG is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of administering all employment decisions and personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
We require teams of talented and diverse people to develop and implement distinctive solutions for a range of clients and business challenges around the world.
