As a boomerang BCGer, please share some highlights of your experiences between your tenures at BCG.
My time at BCG as a consultant was amazing—I learned so much!—and it gave me a great foundation for how to work best with people, how to structure and solve business problems and communicate and accomplish change effectively.
After leaving BCG, I went back to Harvard to study philosophy for a year, which was very influential for me. Previously, my academic focus had been on a doctorate in Economics, a discipline that is more concerned with modeling the world in very concrete—even simplifying—“black and white” terms to derive manageable models for analysis, insight, and prediction. However, quite in contrast, my subsequent study of 20th century philosophy (e.g., Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault) made me realize—among many things—how many “shades of grey” exist, and that there is not one independent world and reality that exists; but rather, reality is created through each person’s personal subjectivity, egocentricity, and experiences.
This taught me the importance of perspective-taking—not just in personal interactions but also in the professional realm. Recognizing that each person (including me) constructs their own reality, challenges us to look closer inside ourselves to understand our own actions and views, and also helps us to stay forward leaning about the other person’s very real and existing standpoints and actions—not an easy task, but very rewarding and enriching.
On the business side, when I went back to work for a former BCG client of mine, in the consumer goods industry, as a Marketing and Business Development Director, my studies helped me to become a much better leader within the company. Being able to understand my own ambitions and realities, and how it is driving my actions, as well as me leaning in toward my colleagues in the same way, made me a much more effective, influential, and well-rounded leader.
On the personal side, after I started my family, I consciously took some time off to be home with my sons. Again, this came from an inward reflection, recognizing that this is what I wanted and what worked for my family situation. It was a bit hard to let go of my professional career for the time being, but I realized what was truly important to me at this moment in time. There is not a silver bullet for how to best combine family and career ambitions, but I do think it starts with the inward reflection of what and why it is really important for oneself and what the options are, getting the right mix going, and then going for it, and “owning” it every day.
When I came back to BCG, I wanted to work part-time and maintain that balance I’d established for myself in my life—how it worked best for me then and now —which was very critical for me in making that transition.
Now at BCG, I have colleagues come and ask me how I’ve managed to prioritize both parts of my professional and private life, which is a topic I happily elaborate on.
What motivated you to return to BCG? How did you know it was time to come back?
I’ve always loved BCG—I’m totally “green,” in that sense. I especially love the people. I’ve found that people working at BCG are smart and dedicated. We all have this tendency to roll up our sleeves and have the will to do our very best, which in large part builds the integrity of BCG. That is the culture, and the way we work with each other. For me, it was very easy to realize that I wanted to return to BCG at some point in my career.
Timing wise, it also made sense to return when my children started to go to preschool and I had more time to dedicate to my career. I came back to BCG in a part-time capacity and have been working between a 50% and 80% capacity these past 10 years I’ve been back. This model has given me the flexibility to achieve the right balance between my work and home life. I must say, BCG has been extremely supportive in this regard. When BCG says that they put people first, I truly find that they mean every word of it, as this is what helped me achieve my balance. It goes back to the culture and who BCG is at the core. And I do think it’s all a give-and-take relationship. I believe that I provide immense value to BCG, and therefore, it really does work both ways. When I’m at work, I’m able to put my focus there 100%—and they know what they are getting and I know what I am getting, and I believe it’s a win-win situation.
I’ve found that people working at BCG are smart and dedicated. We all have this tendency to roll up our sleeves and have the will to do our very best, which in large part builds the integrity of BCG. That is the culture, the way we work with each other.”
Please shed some light on your transition from the consulting side of the business to the business services side upon your return as well as more about your current role in the learning and development function?
The transition was quite seamless for me. Like I said, we’re all like-minded people who put our best foot forward. It’s the same work environment in that sense: truly “one BCG,” regardless of your title. So, with culture being steadfast, it was quite easy.
Having had previous consulting experience was also very helpful, as I know what it means to be a consultant; I know what the pain points are and what consultants need. This helps me significantly in my current position as a Director in Learning and Development (L&D) as it gives me the right perspective to do my best work. And of course, several of the tools I collected while being a consultant are applicable to the work I do now on the business services side.
The way I wound up in L&D specifically was through the alumni sphere. I always loved the annual Worldwide Alumni Day celebration—coming together, networking with other alumni, friends and current BCGers from the New York office. While reconnecting, I started talking with a former colleague of mine who suggested I rejoin BCG and work with her in BCG’s Center for Knowledge & Analytics which I proceeded to do. I later worked for HR L&D of BCG GAMMA, which is now part of BCG X. We started a program called “Analytics University,” teaching consultants the basics of advanced analytics to be able to better team with BCG X by speaking the “same language.” As time continued, the program became very established and successful, which led Global L&D to knock on my door and to the expansion beyond Analytics University into other programs within the advanced analytics sphere, creating a full learning journey for consultants when it comes to analytics. As I continued my career at BCG, I expanded my scope of work to partner with BCG’s Technology & Digital Advantage (TDA) Practice Area for their L&D efforts and expertise skill-building.
How did the BCG Alumni Network provide personal or professional value to you during your time away? What are the ways in which you were able to stay connected?
As I mentioned, the Worldwide Alumni Day celebrations were key to reconnecting with all my former colleagues—those still at BCG and those who had become alums since—and to returning to BCG. Those events were my main connection point with the alumni network, and I also enjoyed receiving emails about the latest happenings at BCG. I also worked with several other BCG alumni in my consumer goods role, which was very helpful, because in many ways, we spoke the same language and had the same style of working, culture, and values we carried with us through our shared BCG history. And of course, many of my colleagues I now also call my friends.
What is your favorite thing about being back at BCG? And how do you feel the firm changed while you were away?
My favorite thing about being at BCG is truly the people and the culture. It’s the reason why I came back—and for me, that’s absolutely number one. I love my work, but it would be nothing without the people around me, and the way we can engage and push the work forward.
BCG has grown a lot in terms of size, scale, and scope. You have so many different career paths and experts now coming together, which really leads to multidisciplinary teaming. It is now less focused on just traditional consulting, and has expanded into a much broader skillset than in the past.
The way we work has changed, of course, with virtual and hybrid work. While it’s great to have the flexibility to work from home, I also love to go into the office and make those personal connections face to face.
Is there any advice you would like to give to alumni as someone who has returned to BCG?
Make it your own journey. BCG is very multi-faceted and open; there are so many paths you can take and it is in your control. So go for it, decide what you want to do—and work together with BCG to make it happen.
It’s so important for you to know that you are in charge of what you want in life, and how you can make it happen with BCG. It’s up to you to define your priorities and navigate your career based on what you want for yourself; it is a land of opportunity.
As life goes on, your situation will change. When I think about the beginning of my career, when I was younger, I was laser-focused on where I wanted to go. And I believe there’s a time and place for everything, which comes back to understanding what you truly want and need at different phases of your life. It’s so important to figure out what’s best for you without putting that outside pressure on yourself of having a fixed timeline or path that fits the standard. I think we all have something to offer, so when you look inward and take note of your strengths and where you want to go and how to make that a reality, then it can happen for you.