Class Of ’17: Meet Bain & Co’s Newest MBA Hires

Kaitlyn Whitley

Bain London

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

MBA program: London Business School

Undergraduate school, major: Dalhousie University, English Literature

Focus of current case: Completing commercial due diligence on a bath and beauty asset for a  private equity company

Why did you choose to work at Bain?

Coming from a ‘non-traditional’ background, and feeling more than a little apprehensive about going into consulting, I found Bain’s supportive environment really appealing. There are so many people here looking out for you—from your mentor, the staffing team, your case team and the friends you make in your start group—there is always someone you can turn to for advice.

What lesson from business school best prepared you for your career at Bain?

Business school taught me the value of bringing together people from different backgrounds, whether that’s national or professional, and it’s great to see that in practice at Bain. The case teams I work in at Bain are just as diverse as the study groups I experienced at LBS.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far at Bain?

I’ve learned that if you want to create real change in an organization, you need to get everyone around a table. It sounds simple but it’s so easy for organizations to get complacent. So much of the value that Bain brings to our clients is ensuring that the right conversations are happening between the right people at the right time. I’ve been so inspired by my managers and partners who are trusted, unbiased advisors for some of our most important clients.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work for Bain?

Get to know the people there. There will probably be a few in your class and they’re a pretty friendly bunch. Some of my favorite people at business school were former Bain employees, and they gave me a real sense of what it would be like to work here. 

What do you want your career to look like in 10 years?

If I’m not still at Bain, I’d love to be working on the commercial team at a big cultural institution here in London, like the BBC or the Barbican. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of balancing artistic/creative and commercial ambitions, and it would be great to combine my arts background with the robust management training I’ve received from Bain.

My greatest personal or professional accomplishment is…I’ve spent the last year mentoring an 11 year old boy here in London. 

A fun fact about me people would be surprised to know is…I spent a summer in university working on TV drama ‘The Tudors’ in Dublin, Ireland.