Global consulting giant McKinsey launches Next Generation Women Leaders program

Global consulting giant McKinsey & Co is accepting applications for its Next Generation Women’s Leaders (NGWL) program ahead of International Women’s Day, which will take place Friday, the company said. The program is open to women in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

The program, a three-day virtual event including workshops, discussions, lectures, and networking, is offered to participants free of charge.

It is an opportunity for women not only to learn about leadership but also to learn about the application process for jobs at McKinsey and to network with McKinsey employees and other applicants, said the consulting firm. Participants must be students, graduating by 2026 or professionals with eight years of experience or less.

Sivan Ravkaie, a 28-year-old former NGWL participant who now works at McKinsey, talked about the program, saying that it taught her a great deal about leadership and gave her practical tools. Ravkaie completed the program two years ago and went on to use the networking opportunities and prep offered to program participants to apply for, and ultimately be accepted to work at McKinsey.

A former lone soldier shares her experience

Ravkaie, a former lone soldier and shooting instruction officer, gave an example of one of the tools she learned in the program – strength-based confidence. “As a new Olah in the Officers Course, I would get comments about my Hebrew not being good enough,” said Ravkaie. “If I go deeper into those comments, I find my drive, my unique perspective, and the other strengths that come from being a new Olah. That is what strength-based confidence is – analyzing your own limiting beliefs and combating them with strengths,” explained Ravkaie.

Ravkaie said that the focus on development and diversity is not unique to McKinsey’s NGWL program but are core characteristic of work at McKinsey. “For all the projects I have worked on, my development has been important to my managers,” said Ravkaie. “At McKinsey, they make a conscious effort to have a diverse staff, and also to address biases employees may have,” said Ravkaie. “I have had previous workplaces where a team of women would be addressed as ‘the girls’, and that felt demeaning. We are not girls, we are women. I never experienced anything like that at McKinsey,” said Ravkaie.

McKinsey describes itself as committed to “inclusion and equality for women,” and added that attracting, retaining, and developing the most talented and qualified people in the world, is an integral part of their mission.

Some 48% of the firm’s employees and 45% of managers at McKinsey are women. Some 49% of new hires are women and the numbers for McKinsey Israel are almost identical to the global numbers. McKinsey says that they will continue to “focus relentlessly on implementing [...] best practices” until they reach gender parity.

“This commitment is integral to building a firm that attracts, develops, and excites exceptional people. It is also key to our client service strategy. Our research underscores that diversity and inclusion are connected to better business performance and talent retention,” said the company.

The link between diversity and stronger financial performance for companies has been demonstrated consistently in research conducted both by McKinsey, and by others. When boards of businesses have the same amount of male and female employees, they are almost 20% more likely to have enhanced business outcomes, according to The International Labor Organization. Companies in the top quartile of gender diversity on executive teams have a 25% higher chance of attaining above-average profitability, according to the World Economic Forum.