Strategy Bites

Mailys Pauletto, ex Roland Berger consultant, has purposefully designed her current lifestyle and currently, she has a dual career. Mailys is a contract or interim Strategy consultant which allows her to also follow her passion as a holistic breathwork coach and yogi, running retreats and classes to teach others about her practice. Mailys talks to me about the pros and cons of being a contract management consultant vs having a corporate career or career in management consulting, as she has now experienced all three pathways. Website (Mailys' events page) https://www.mailyspauletto.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maypauletto/ Podcast: https://www.oneyoufeed.net/connecting-to-what-matters/

Wendy is a Managing Director of Pollination and she was previously a Managing Director and Partner in BCG's Sydney office. At BCG, Wendy worked in Financial Services & Insurance and also led BCG's Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability work in Australia and New Zealand. Wendy talks to me about working in ESG and what types of projects she was doing at BCG and now at Pollination. She has always been passionate about working on Social Impact, Climate and Sustainability projects and gives some great advice to other consultants wanting to focus their careers in this space.

Aliza Knox was the first Female partner at BCG in Asia and has been dubbed a “kick-ass woman slaying the world of tech”. Aliza was also listed as a Top 100 Women in Tech (Singapore, 2021), has been named the IT Woman of the Year (Asia, 2020), honored as the AWA Singapore International Business Woman of the Year (2015), elected to Chief Executive Women (Australia, 2016) and featured in the book Women on Board—Making a Real Difference. Aliza speaks to me about her amazing career journey from BCG to Tech and now to her roles on multiple boards. We talk about mentorship, women in leadership, having a career whilst having a family, and Aliza gives some amazing advice to other up and coming, driven consultants. Aliza is also a best selling Author and her book “ Don’t quit your day job” was written as a way to mentor the masses. Link to book : https://www.amazon.com.au/Dont-Quit-Your-Day-Job/dp/0730396592 Link to Aliza’s book recommendation : Radical Candor by Kim Scott https://www.amazon.com.au/Radical-Candor-Revised-Updated-Saying/dp/1529038340/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19E46FX6XOQP7&keywords=radical+candor+by+kim+scott&qid=1693784068&s=books&sprefix=radical+candor%2Cstripbooks%2C312&sr=1-1

I speak to Anna about her decision to leave Bain in order to found Start-up sensation Lyka, which has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading supplier of human grade pet food in Australia. We discuss the challenges of growing a business at speed and the highs and lows of being a start-up founder. This is a must listen to for any consultant who has an idea for a business but are yet to act on it.

Milosh Milisavljevic, Chief Customer Officer at Medibank and McKinsey alumni has been a go to mentor to many an ex consultant, helping them work through the trade-offs and options of moving from consulting into corporates, and then growing and developing in a corporate role once they make the move. We discuss what the high achievers in corporates who came from consulting did differently. Milosh gives some solid advice for those hoping to thrive in a corporate environment and shares some of the best advice he has been given over the years. His book recommendations : Effortless – Greg McKeown Lost Connections – Johann Hari Bitter Sweet – Susan Cain No Rules Rules – Reed Hastings

Sophie Hayek, CEO of PropHero and Roland Berger Alumni talks to me about her experience moving from France to Australia to join Woolies Group Strategy, why she moved to NBN, and what she feels were the skills that helped her climb the ladder in a Corporate. We discuss her motivations to move into a Tech- Start-Up and the skills necessary to be a CEO of a Scale-Up. She gives some great advice to management consultants thinking about their careers in both corporates and start-ups.

In this episode I am joined by my esteemed colleague Asha Walsh who specialises in recruiting roles at Manager to Head of level roles in Strategy. We discuss the market and what we are encountering currently in our sector. Asha also gives some excellent advice to any junior to mid-level strategy candidates considering a job search.

In this episode, I chat with Steve Duke, who left McKinsey at the Consultant level to help grow two Unicorns at a young age. He shares his story of transitioning from consulting to tech startup life. After being let go from the last start-up Steve went on a journey of personal discovery and talks about his quest for career enlightenment. This led him to become a fellow podcaster, he is currently the Host of the podcast Two Roads aimed at helping people find meaning in their work and life. In this episode, we exchange learnings from our interviews with our guests on this topic. Link to Two Roads Podcast here: https://stephenduke8.podbean.com/

Join me as I chat with Katrina Barry, the CEO of Me&u - a technology company that is transforming the hospitality industry. In this episode, Katrina shares her personal journey and life experiences, going from a country girl in New Zealand to McKinsey and on to exciting roles in a variety of sectors from Finance to Fitness, Travel to Tech. She candidly discusses the challenges she has faced on her journey as well as her victories. Katrina shares how she has thought about the career decisions she has made, and shares the best advice she has been given along the way, as well as lots of hints and tips for aspiring consultants regarding how to make decisions on the opportunities that come their way.

Victors’ 2nd appearance on the podcast! In this episode, we deep dive into : The importance of case interview prep How to be a good case interviewer to attract the best candidates The importance of humility How to harness unshakable self-esteem and more.... Links to information referenced in the podcast https://caseinterview.com/ “Look” Over My Shoulder https://www.caseinterview.com/look-over-my-shoulder How to Develop Gravitas https://www.caseinterview.com/gravitas How to Sell Your Ideas in Everyday Life https://www.caseinterview.com/how-to-sell How to Develop Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to Advance Your Career https://www.caseinterview.com/eq-development How to Develop Unshakeable Self-Esteem & Incredible Self-Confidence https://www.caseinterview.com/self-esteem Book recommendation - Richistan by Robert Frank https://ig.ft.com/sites/business-book-award/books/2007/longlist/richistan-by-robert-frank/

Ex BCG Principal Josh Taylor has worked and lived all over the world. He is now an Aussie who has settled in Dallas (for now)! He shares his experience of traveling with BCG to different continents and gives his best advice to those considering an international career now that travel is back on the cards.

Tech Unicorn Rokt was Sydney-founded and is now New York-headquartered. Rokt closed the largest single venture raise in Australian history, securing a $2.75 billion valuation from a US$325 million (AUD$458 million) Series E funding round led by Tiger Global. Stuart joined Rokt in the early stages and has grown with the business. Both Stuart and Founder Bruce Buchanan are ex-BCG consultants. Stuart chats to me about his journey and gives some great advice about how to think about if a Start-Up is the right option for your career.

In this episode I talk about: *The world of SexTech *How Lucy decided to leave McKinsey with less than 2 years under her belt to found a start-up *The highs and lows of being a young founder in an early stage start up *Lucy’s focus on ensuring she founded a socially conscious start-up *The education programs Normal is driving *Some of the best advice Lucy can give to any consultant wondering if this path is for them

In this episode, Adam shares his journey with me and how he went from a Senior Associate at BCG to an overnight Aussie Start-Up legend. He shares tips and advice for budding entrepreneurs and management consultants who are looking for a career beyond consulting.

Stephanie is an ex McKinsey consultant who now works at Management Consulted, a business founded to specifically help budding strategists prepare and ace the case interview. We speak about the different types of case interview, what interviewers are looking for and how one would prepare for a case interview at all stages of their career. This is a must listen to for any candidate interviewing for a consulting firm or any strategy role.

I speak to Ilan Israelstam, Co-Founder and CCO of Betashares, a leading manager of ETF’s in Australia. Ilan is a natural-born entrepreneur and after spending 5.5 years with BCG in Sydney and New York, he set up business both here in Australia and in China. He talks about the mindset and skills needed to be a successful start-up business owner and entrepreneur and how consultants might want to think about their options beyond consulting if being an entrepreneur excites them.

Paul, Board Member of Investigo (UK, Europe & US' leading Strategy & Consulting recruitment Agency), joins me from the UK to discuss all the trends they are witnessing in the strategy & consulting market in the UK, Europe and the US. We touch on salaries, what roles are in demand, how Australian market experience is viewed off-shore, and Paul's advice to anyone wanting to do a stint abroad.

Tennealle, who was recently named #1 in this year's Inside Retail Australia Top 50 People in E-commerce, kindly agreed to talk to me about her journey. Going from Law and Logistics, through consulting at Kearney, various line roles in Seek, to becoming an award-winning CEO. We discuss her recommendations to anyone wanting to obtain the top job in an ASX listed business, how to view and cope with the challenges that present themselves along the way, and she shares some great advice for the up and coming management consultant.

In this episode Leah Weckert, CEO at Coles and McKinsey Alumni, speaks openly to me about her journey. We discuss her time at McKinsey, the different roles she has held at Coles on her way to the top, and how she juggles being on the ELT of an ASX100 business, being a mum to 2, and maintaining her identity, ensuring she makes time for herself. Leah is authentic and inspiring and gives some great advice, do not miss it!

In this episode, Liana shares her journey from her 10 years at McKinsey reaching AP level, to embarking on a very successful career in the not-for-profit sector both here and in New York. Most recently Liana has started a is leading a national project called Common Ground on Climate, tackling the all-important topic of climate change. Liana gives advice to anyone looking to move into this sector and currently has opportunities for those looking to move into the non-profit sector on a volunteer or pro bono basis.