I truly believe in the power of human-centric design methodologies to improve viewers’ well-being and solve business problems. McKinsey is a rare place that empowers designers to create tremendous business and social impact.
CHOOSING MCKINSEY
The common challenge of design companies and designers is to articulate the value of design in a business context. I realized this after being an innovator and practice builder in several leading design environments. I was on a long sabbatical in Europe before joining the firm, when the book The McKinsey Way caught my attention. I realized McKinsey and designers shared similar methodologies and logical problem-solving approaches. This commonality led me to apply and join the firm. After more than two and half years, I am still honing my design craftsmanship within a business context while building new skills like top-down communication.
REWARDING, MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES
It is rewarding to be inspired by talented people every day. I learn and grow from my team members and I am inspired by the way my colleagues think, their goals, and the knowledge they share. I am also constantly impressed by the firm’s openness to different ideas and approaches. As an experienced hire, I brought several design methodologies to the firm, which have been integrated into the way teams now work, for example, round robins for ideation workshops.
DISCOVERING NEW INTERESTS
With support from leadership, I was one of the first in Greater China to embed design thinking into Leap by McKinsey—the firm’s business building approach. Since then, the approach has been replicated and woven into multiple client engagements. I enjoy experimenting with the new way of working using cross-disciplinary knowledge.
A TRULY GLOBAL FIRM
I was driving a design-led client study for seven markets. The approach, methodologies, and workplan I proposed were piloted in China and Japan initially and later replicated in five additional European markets. We worked closely with a team from China, Japan, and France, sharing takeaways with other European teams. It was a great experience to solve problems as a global team.
WORK–LIFE BALANCE
Before COVID-19, most of the firm trainings were in person. It was a fantastic opportunity to take time off and focus on learning and connecting with remarkable colleagues from around the world. The firm also has many flexibility programs such as Take Time, which allows you to take up to ten weeks of unpaid leave to balance work with life.
Education
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Design
Master’s, multimedia and entertainment technology
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, School of Information Management
Bachelor’s, management information systems