Benno Rosenwald

“Ever-evolving, constantly curious human being who loves solving problems and working with others.”

McKinsey Office: New York City

Hometown: Santa Monica, California

MBA Program and Concentration: Columbia Business School

Undergraduate School, Major: Stanford University, Theatre Arts

What was your favorite thing about your MBA program? What I really enjoyed about the MBA program was learning the language of business, which felt like mastering a foreign language. Although different industries might use distinct terminology, the fundamental meanings are largely the same. I appreciated gaining insight into how various industries communicate and applying my diverse professional experiences in the business realm. Additionally, being in New York City and absorbing knowledge from professors, fellow students, and speakers added incredible value to my experience.

Can you describe your proudest pre-McKinsey accomplishment? My proudest moment was producing an LGBTQ+ short film called Femme, which is about being rejected for being too feminine as a man. This project allowed me to share the story of underrepresented individuals on screen. I received messages from people all over the world, especially when we attended a Chinese Underground Film Festival, sharing their stories and thanking us for representing their experiences on screen. Hearing these stories really illustrated how much representation matters.

Why did you choose McKinsey over other consulting firms or other industries? My experience doesn’t easily translate via resume alone, and getting to express myself was so important to me and McKinsey gave me that opportunity during the recruiting process.

I chose McKinsey because they cared about who I am as a person beyond just my ability to solve cases. They emphasized the qualitative aspects of my background, which was crucial for me as a non-traditional candidate.

What are three words that describe working at McKinsey? Pace, access, and challenging.

What were you most excited about when you accepted your full-time offer? What is something you didn’t know to be excited about then, but you are now? I felt incredibly intimidated to go to business school. I felt uncomfortable in that surrounding and insecure about fitting into a corporate environment. Having worked in a non-corporate environment for a decade, going in and wearing suits to meetings was not my thing. So, getting an acceptance letter to McKinsey was that “rubber stamp.” Not only did McKinsey value that I had this diverse experience, it validated that I could hack it in the corporate world.

There’s this idea that consultants’ job is to march into a company and dictate changes, pointing out everything they’re doing wrong. That was certainly my impression before business school and my experiences here. I thought we were like the characters in the movie Up in the Air, where Anna Kendrick’s character goes around firing people. But that’s not what we do at all.

What we actually do is integrate ourselves within the companies, collaborating closely with senior VPs and CEOs to discover the best solutions for them. Our advice is only valuable if it can be implemented effectively. We could suggest perfect solutions all day, but if they can’t be executed, then what’s the point? That’s not real value creation; it’s just being prescriptive.

So, the notion that we just tell companies exactly what to do is far from the truth. Yes, we advise on best practices, but more importantly, we tailor our solutions to fit our clients’ needs and create the most value.

Who at the Firm has been the most impactful mentor to you and why? Ruben Quendera has been a significant mentor for me. He was the engagement manager on my first project and has been incredibly generous with his time and advice, helping me navigate both personal and professional challenges at McKinsey.

One time, I was building a deck and he gave me two solid hours of his time on a Friday afternoon to help me conceptualize the different page structures and the best ways to communicate what I wanted to say. He always says to me, “You know what you need to say, we just need to put it down on this page correctly.”

If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice during the interview process, what would you say? I would tell myself to calm down and share openly about who I am, what I want to do, and what I have done. It’s important not to devalue your experiences— instead, fully embrace and communicate them.

In what area(s) do you have considerable knowledge or expertise? While I have considerable knowledge in the media industry, I’ve learned the importance of diversifying my expertise. At McKinsey, I’ve engaged in various industries, which has broadened my understanding and application of business concepts.

Tell us about an “only at McKinsey” moment you’ve had so far: An “only at McKinsey” moment for me was working intensely on a profit model late into the night and then presenting it at a board meeting in Palm Beach the next day. It’s incredible how one moment you’re deep in analysis and the next you’re in front of the people that have the power to make significant decisions.

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