I am a mechanical engineer who has worked for the past decade in the fields of supply chain management, procurement, and cost re-engineering for several reputable multinationals, I had the privilege to join the newly established McKinsey office in Cairo as Knowledge Specialist in procurement and supply management to lead the startup of experienced consultants’ hub in the field of procurement and cost transformation.
Mohamed Hafez
Knowledge SpecialistCairo
Why I chose McKinsey
There are millions of reasons to join McKinsey, but the top two reasons for me were: I found that McKinsey’s set of values matches my own and saw how such values are grounded in the roots of every member in the firm. These values make the firm best positioned to be my incubator to learn and grow, and to leave an impact on myself, on my clients, and on my society and country. The second reason was the desire to join the newly established office in Cairo to help grow McKinsey in Egypt. Knowing how McKinsey can leave a very positive impact on the broader society and country, I wanted to help drive this impact on the Egyptian public and private sectors.
A Non-hierarchical firm
Since the first day I joined I was surrounded by support and care everywhere; the environment here is designed to bring the best out of every and each individual. I was really surprised by how efficient and non-hierarchical McKinsey is; it is amazing to see a team vary from senior partners to early-tenure analysts assembled together, working toward one target of driving client impact from day one seamlessly, as if they were working together for years.
Meaningful experiences
I remember with joy the moment we were able to localize the manufacturing of high-end medical equipment in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We were setting up a central spending unit for all governmental spend. Our primary objective wasn’t only to optimize costs, but also to increase local content in high-end strategic products. While preparing the client for negotiation with one of the top medical device manufacturers globally we put together our negotiation strategy. After several rounds of negotiations the agreement took place, localizing manufacturing of critical devices in exchange for medium-term contractual commitment.
What collaboration is like
The collaboration process at McKinsey is non-linear; literally any individual in the firm will offer their support to other colleges if needed in a way that I’ve never witnessed before. People will jump in whenever needed, sometimes without even asking. Sending a message to all experts asking a question or reaching out to someone you never talked to before is enough to find people dedicating time and efforts in order to help you succeed.