Usama Arshad

“As a person I’m curious, ambitious, and very resilient from my life experiences.”

McKinsey Office: Dubai

Hometown: Faisalabad, Pakistan

MBA Program and Concentration: Harvard Business School

Undergraduate School, Major: Lahore University of Management Sciences, Economics

What was your favorite thing about your MBA program? It’s hard to pick just one “favorite.” It was very intellectually stimulating. Being the nerd that I am, it was like heaven, and the people I met were phenomenal.

The case study method we use at Harvard is unique and very helpful because you typically learn from your peers. And with every case, you’re seeing different viewpoints. Being with people who know a topic better than you makes you more receptive to other people’s perspectives and makes you humble. We all lived on campus, so it was a very tightly-knit community as well.

Can you describe your proudest pre-McKinsey accomplishment? I was working with Shell in the Middle East, and they were struggling in terms of market share. They had lost 10% market share when I arrived. I was hired as an indirect general account manager, and I tried to leverage all the learnings I had from consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and implement those at Shell because we were dealing with a distributor.

So, I brought in and implemented the best practices from our distributors in CPG, which helped them not only regain—but grow—their market share in a year-and-a-half. A phenomenal achievement. I was able to take learnings from one landscape and adapt and apply it to different circumstances.

Why did you choose McKinsey over other consulting firms or other industries? I really, really enjoy solving new problems. McKinsey was perfect for me in that regard. It is basically an extension of what we did at HBS—but the speed and intellectual stimulation is a lot greater than what we had in business school. So that is something that I was looking forward to, and it keeps me excited. There hasn’t been a single day where I have not been excited to work here.

If you compare McKinsey with any other firm, there’s perhaps no match. We have a lot of history; we have a lot of knowledge. We work with outstanding people. I have not seen such intellectually curious, driven people sitting in a room ever in my life than here at the firm. The people are so supportive and helpful, it is unbelievable.

What are three words that describe working at McKinsey? Impactful, stimulating, and collaborative.

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 am extremely proud to be with the firm and particularly proud when we deliver a project and the client is genuinely pleased with the results. Receiving thanks for our hard work and knowing the client is satisfied is incredibly rewarding. It’s one of the best feelings you can experience in a professional setting.

Two things surprised me. First, the sheer volume of knowledge and resources the firm has left me astounded. Meaning, you can think of any topic under the sun, and McKinsey can connect you to internal experts, external experts, knowledge documents—this place has everything. Second, it was the culture. The firm is busy and people have so much to do that I didn’t expect people would be so supportive. But I was pleasantly surprised that everyone I reached out to was willing to help me.

Who at the firm has been the most impactful mentor to you and why? Florian Bartels, an engagement manager based in Germany. I did a study with him this year, and in that small study, the impact he had on me was amazing. He taught me how to be smart, humble, and helpful all at the same time. I still reach out to him whenever I have issues.

Also, Ewa Starzynska, an engagement manager based in London, has been super kind and helped me navigate different studies. One thing that stands out about Eva is her willingness to work with her team. She is skilled at taking really complex problems, and breaking them into smaller pieces for the team to tackle.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice during the interview process, what would you say? First, be yourself. This is a diverse place, and you will be appreciated for being authentic. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Second, nail the structure in your casing. It is an especially important skill when you’re dealing with senior stakeholders who don’t have a lot of time. You need to be very structured. Otherwise, you’ll lose their attention. That’s the last thing you’d want to do as a consultant.

In what area(s) do you have considerable knowledge or expertise? Because I came in as a tenured associate with 7-8 years of professional experience, I have a lot of sales, marketing, and commercial experience. I’ve been able to leverage that throughout all my engagements. So, for instance, I did a client study in consumer package goods here, and I was able to apply the skills and learnings from my previous experiences.

Tell us about an “only at McKinsey” moment you’ve had so far: The amount of energy that is put into everyone’s review process. The discussions that happen in the committees, and the feedback that you get afterwards at McKinsey, is unlike anything I’ve experienced elsewhere. So, I’d say this only happens here because I believe we are a meritocratic firm. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of effort put into my first review and the actionable feedback that came out of the discussion.

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