Songwriting on the French Riviera
I grew up in a small town on the French Riviera where I studied law and politics. Back then, I was running a Britpop band that I formed in middle school following classical guitar studies. It undoubtedly strengthened my already significant passion for technology: thanks to digital tools, I became a songwriter, producer, videographer and web designer from the comfort of my room.
It took me countless hours to learn the bass, piano and drums while ramping up on the production skills that would empower me to write and perform songs, so I could make records and music videos before playing them on stage. As I was trying to make the band stand out on the regional scene, we managed to secure radio performances as well as European gigs outside of France. Highlights include headlining the Karneval der Kulturen rock stage in Berlin or supporting Aston Martin’s 100th anniversary in Monaco.
This experience shaped who I am. It taught me what should matter most in an ever-changing context: vision, passion, leadership, and a drive for learning. Identifying these pillars helped me get things done in a meaningful way while aiming for high standards, no matter how often the outcomes were successful or not. It convinced me that failure is nothing but a temporary part of learning that leads to greater success by virtue of perseverance.
Shaping a career path around entrepreneurship, digital and cross-functional international exposure
I realized the hard and soft skills developed in this artistic environment were relevant to entrepreneurship. It prompted me to launch a digital media startup alongside my studies to help businesses strengthen their digital presence across various channels, before starting an MSc in Management at EMLyon while pursuing another Master’s in Business Law at the Sorbonne. As I was eager to push that curriculum to an international level and still feel close to British culture, I also graduated with a third Master’s in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Imperial College.
Then came the time to make a tough choice. Shortly after being extended a full-time offer following my summer internship at Facebook’s European headquarters in Dublin, I also happened to enter McKinsey London’s business analyst recruitment process. Although McKinsey Digital was very attractive, I felt like prioritizing a first experience at a technology company would better complement my education and thus decided to start my career as an account manager at Facebook, where I helped high-value advertisers scale their revenue using Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp marketing solutions.
Prior to making that decision, I interacted with several McKinsey consultants on both sides of the Channel and felt genuinely aligned with the meritocratic culture they were fostering. Over time, I kept thinking of McKinsey and told myself joining the firm may be a relevant next step.
Two years later, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, I re-entered McKinsey’s recruitment process at the associate level from a remote cottage surrounded by cows in Western Ireland – an amazing location to practice photography and case interviews. Even though it was challenging, I enjoyed solving problems while getting to know my recruiter and interviewers along the way. I finally joined the Growth, Marketing and Sales practice as a digital consultant in the London office.
Navigating development opportunities
McKinsey offers so many different learning options. From client work to trainings and rotations, I have continuous opportunities to build my expertise and skills. Defining goals and managing my career growth is more crucial here than anywhere else to make the most of my time at the firm. Fortunately, I can rely on guidance from very supportive and inclusive colleagues while enjoying flexible staffing.
From day one, the firm felt like the exact right place I needed to debate ideas with like-minded colleagues in an entrepreneurial way. People here share a sense of purpose that is inspiring and benefits individuals as well as communities.
My role offers a scope of work which helps me build an ideal skillset for decades to come: strategy, marketing and product. I started serving clients across industries, defining go-to-market strategies, assessing digital impact, setting up new capabilities or marketing and product alignment, and building businesses (through Leap – McKinsey’s digital venture arm). It led me to work with teams across the UK, US, Germany, Sweden, Belgium and Croatia.
Then I started tackling software product management by taking on a rotation within Periscope, McKinsey’s suite of SaaS pricing solutions. I am now working on product strategy, crafting new products while defining requirements and key performance indicators as well as collecting user feedback, before shipping and testing them with a team of data scientists, software engineers and designers.
Aside from client work, McKinsey supplies an unparalleled network of colleagues and alumni. There isn’t another place in the world where the most knowledgeable experts come together to tackle the most important challenges in any industry.
Outside of work
I registered to participate in McKinsey’s music festival where musicians from within the firm gather in Austria once a year to perform on stage. I am also part of a team building a community of colleagues and alumni focused on entrepreneurship. When I’m not running or strolling around Kensington Gardens and Notting Hill with my partner, I keep playing music and taking pictures around the world. This fall, I’ll start an MBA at Oxford.
