Priyanka Misra

McKinsey Office: Sydney, Australia

Hometown: Sydney, Australia

MBA Program, Concentration: Cambridge Business School, Global Business

Undergraduate School, Major: University of New South Wales, Commerce/Economics

Why did you choose McKinsey? I knew McKinsey had a reputation as a market leader in management consulting with intelligent people, working on projects that make a difference across sectors (whether that be government, sustainability, banks, etc.).

What did you love about the business school you attended? The people! With a small cohort of less than 200 people from over 50 countries, it was incredible to hear and learn about peoples’ experience during classes. Our lecturers were leaders in their areas which made for engaging and exciting classes.

What lesson or skill did you learn from training (formal or informal) at McKinsey and how has it helped in your role? It was how to problem solve to tackle any type of issue and how to find direction and clarity with ambiguous client problems (and usually challenging situations).

Tell us about an “only at McKinsey” moment you’ve had so far. Obligation to dissent. If you feel like you have insights or questions, you should vocalize your doubts regardless of who it is you’re talking to in the meeting. You have an obligation to challenge what you think isn’t right. I’ve been in so many meetings with tenured members and have never hesitated to question where I felt it was needed.

Tell us something you’ve learned about yourself or something that brought you closer to teammates or clients during the COVID-19 pandemic? By not travelling every week, there’s a lot more time to work on career development at the firm, learnings and connecting with people in creative ways. (Though I’m really looking forward to meeting people again in person!)

What advice would you give someone interviewing at McKinsey? Enjoy the problem solving that happens in cases. Since it’s what you’ll be doing at work every day, try to find your own authentic approach. If you start to enjoy it, it becomes an exercise in creativity which I believe is more valued at the firm.

Who has had the biggest impact on you at McKinsey and how has she/he helped you? Seneca Shum on my first engagement took incredible initiative to help me navigate the firm and continues to be someone I can direct all my questions to.

My most meaningful achievement (professional or personal) and how it made a difference is… Doing my MBA at Cambridge, it opened my eyes to the variety of peoples’ ideas, thoughts, and learnings. It has helped me to be more empathetic of different peoples’ approach to work.

A fun fact about me is… I’ve probably watched every Simpsons episode about 3 times.

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