I looked at all the 'usual suspects' but chose Bain because the people and culture felt right.

• Why Bain?

  Before business school I had been in consulting and then moved into industry.  When it came to planning life after business school, I turned back to consulting because I believe it offers an unparalleled opportunity to work on the most challenging problems for a range of exciting clients.  I looked at all the "usual suspects" but chose Bain because the people and the culture felt right - down-to-earth, pragmatic, friendly, and fun loving.  After many cases across a range of offices, I still believe that is what makes Bain really special.

• My passion

  I find people fascinating - what they do, what makes them tick, how rational or irrational they act.
  At Bain, I pursue that passion by working primarily in consumer-facing industries.  Figuring out the needs of customer segments and why products succeed in some markets and are a total failure in others is fascinating to me.

  In my spare time, I love to go exploring around the world - from hiking in the Himalayas, to riding the Trans-Siberian, to Sushi making in Japan.  I am just about to go on a three months leave of absence to allow me to "go wandering in Asia" once again.
  

• My favorite case

  I was part of a major post-merger integration case in the beverages industry.  It was a deeply challenging project as it involved a comprehensive merger between two equal parties, in a condensed time frame, and under tightening market conditions.  What I particularly enjoyed is that we were able to really work side-by-side with our clients on solving the ever changing set of problems we were faced with while having fun at the same time.  Together we managed to engage the organization and reach all integration milestones, despite the difficult conditions.

• My personal results story

  Would you buy a company that makes sailboats?  Not little dinky ones, but really sexy yachts that are beautifully made and loved by all who own them.  A world market leader.

  We had a week to answer that question, the deal was highly contested and time, as usual, was tight.  Within a few days we pulled together market information, customer feedback and competitor insights and had to conclude that while the boats were really very attractive indeed, they were the style bought by "mass-affluent" sailors, not, as many suggested, by ultra-high net worth individuals who are so wealthy they are practically immune to the impact of a recession.  Given this and the company's strong position in the world market, we concluded that it was too risky to invest in case of a slow-down.

  The fund we were advising pulled out, but the deal continued to be very popular, finally going to the highest bidder.  As we face the current crisis and demand for mid-range sailboats is grinding to a halt, we know that we helped the fund make a confident move against popular belief and stay clear of a potentially very costly investment.  
  

• A final thought

  One piece of advice that has worked for me:  take the time to meet your potential colleagues.  They can make the difference between an ok and a great place to work.