Cassandra Esinaulo

“I’m a curious person with a zest for learning, who thrives on discovery and action.”

McKinsey Office: Chicago, United States

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

MBA Program: Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management (General MBA)

Undergraduate School, Major: Covenant University, Management Information Systems

What was your favorite thing about your MBA program? My program prepared us really well for our careers post-graduation. For students interested in consulting career paths, we received structured coaching not just for interviews but also for our careers at large.

Can you describe your proudest pre-McKinsey accomplishment? In what area(s) do you have considerable knowledge or expertise? My proudest accomplishment was leading the digital adoption of enterprise software for a new client in Africa who had not used our technology previously. The organization was initially resistant—particularly middle management, who were concerned the new solution would threaten their roles and disrupt their business operations. I had to identify their priorities, build trust, and show how the solution could enhance their performance rather than replace them. Eventually, through our engagement and tailored demonstrations, I secured buy-in across all levels of the organization. The client not only adopted the platform but became a regional advocate for it, setting a new benchmark for transformation in the market. That experience deepened my expertise in sales strategy, change management, and enabling digital transformation at scale.

Why did you choose McKinsey over other consulting firms or other industries? I chose McKinsey because it was the best platform to scale my impact in growth and sales transformation. In my earlier roles at Microsoft and SAP, I worked across Africa and the Middle East to help organizations digitally transform their business processes. At McKinsey, I joined the Growth, Marketing, and Sales practice to not only continue to develop my skills, but also to apply those skills to tackle some of the most complex problems at Fortune 500 companies. This enabled me to combine my international experience in emerging markets with a global perspective, sharpening my ability to transform sales functions and deliver measurable growth across industries. Additionally, I felt a strong connection to the people I engaged with during the interview process and knew I wanted to work at a firm that had a great balance of impressive people doing amazing things

What is something you didn’t know to be excited about then, but you are now? I didn’t realize how intentional and supportive the apprenticeship model would be. I really thought you were expected to know every single thing before starting, but that’s not the case.

On my first client study, my engagement manager made sure I had the right tools and guidance. I had been nervous about asking questions, but instead I found a great learning environment where people wanted me to succeed. To this day, my very first study is still my favorite study.

Can you share a time you received mentorship while at McKinsey? How has it made you better? One of my engagement managers—Ryan Swift—created a team exercise to help us practice top-down communication, a way to structure your communications that starts with the most important message. We each had to create a one-pager on a fun topic, like surviving a zombie apocalypse, and present it to the team for feedback. Everyone—peers and leaders—gave input in a safe space, which made it easy to learn and grow. It was a great example of mentorship and apprenticeship in action.

Different teams bring out different skills, and I’ve grown in unique ways on each project.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice during the interview process, what would you say? Be calmer and trust yourself. I was so worried about making mistakes that I second-guessed myself. What I know now is that the interviewers aren’t trying to trip you up. They want to see your thought process and help you be at your best. If you’ve done the work, focus on showing how you think, not just getting the “right” answer.

Additionally, I would tell myself to trust my perspective and speak with conviction. There isn’t only one profile of a McKinsey consultant so trust yourself that you have something unique and valuable to contribute to the firm and the clients.

What’s something you’ve learned here that you know will be useful for your entire career? I’ve learned the importance of being clear about my “why.” On every study, I try to reflect and ask myself: What am I learning, how am I growing, and how does this fit into the bigger picture of my career? This role demands a lot but also gives a lot, so having a strong sense of purpose keeps me energized and helps me stay aligned with my long-term goals.

Additionally, it has been incredibly valuable to hone the skill of communicating complex ideas into simple, compelling narratives. I believe these skills will be essential to my long-term career to help global organizations shape their approach to digital transformation and commercial excellence.

What’s an example of a time when a teammate challenged you, inspired you, or pushed you to think bigger or go further than you would have on your own? On my very first study, I saw what it really meant to co-create with a client. I was on a merchandising project for a jewelry and accessories company, and my workstream focused on spotting trends—helping them figure out what products to have in stores so they wouldn’t miss opportunities.

What struck me was that the team didn’t just present slides and walk away. We sat in working sessions with the client, debating ideas together and showing them new ways to anticipate trends they hadn’t been able to capture before. Instead of saying, “You need to do XYZ,” we reframed it as, “Here’s an exciting way to connect with your customers and get ahead.”

On a study to improve sales productivity at a financial services company, I was challenged to think bigger about client collaboration. My workstream focused on turning around how performance was managed, and I combined my prior experience in sales with the firm’s expertise to design a new approach. With encouragement from my leadership team and peers, I co-created solutions directly with the client, testing insights in real time and addressing the pain points that hindered progress in the past.

In 12 weeks, we redesigned their performance management system, built a dashboard that gave leaders 360-degree visibility into sales performance, and refined their performance coaching discussions to be more insight-driven and action-oriented.

Our recommendations were projected to increase sales by 40% within the first year. This experience shaped my consulting style as collaborative and outcomes driven—focusing on delivering measurable transformation while equipping clients to sustain long-term impact.

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