From MBB to Sydney: A McKinsey Consultant's Journey to BC Strategy and Australia

At The Movemeon Group, we love sharing firsthand insights from professionals who have made exciting career transitions. In this feature, we spoke with a former McKinsey consultant who joined boutique strategy firm BC Strategy and relocated to Australia. He shares what drove him to leave MBB, what attracted him to a smaller firm, and what work and life actually look like in Australia.

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From PwC to McKinsey: A career across assurance, finance and strategy‍

My career has moved across assurance, corporate finance and strategy consulting, which has given me a fairly broad commercial foundation. I started in Russia at PwC in assurance, where I developed a strong grounding in financial analysis, structured problem solving and how large organisations actually operate in practice. I then moved into PwC’s corporate finance work, where I spent more time on transactions, investment analysis and strategic questions. From there, I joined McKinsey, where I worked across a range of strategy and transformation topics and advised senior clients in different sectors. With McKinsey I got my MBA and made a move to Australia. More recently, I moved to BC Strategy, where I have been able to combine that large-firm training with a more entrepreneurial and hands-on consulting environment. Across those roles, a common theme has been helping leadership teams make decisions under uncertainty and bringing structure to complex problems. 

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What drew him to consulting, and what it actually taught him

What initially attracted me to consulting was the idea that, with the right discipline, you could take a messy problem, apply a robust process, and get to a sound answer largely through structured thinking and good analysis. I found that very appealing intellectually. In the early years, the most valuable lesson was probably the 80/20 mindset: understanding that you do not need perfect information to arrive at a strong conclusion, and that a relatively focused set of analyses can often get you most of the way to the right answer. That was quite a powerful shift in thinking. It taught me to be hypothesis-driven, to prioritise what really matters, and to stay practical rather than getting lost in analysis for its own sake.

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The decision to make the move from consulting

At a certain point, I started to realise that I was looking for an environment that was a better cultural fit for me personally. MBB is an exceptional place to learn: it is fast-paced, high-performing and very demanding, and I gained a huge amount from that experience. But over time I became clearer on the kind of setting in which I do my best work. I was looking for something a bit more personal, a bit more flexible, and a bit less tied to the machinery of a very large institution. So, it was not really about moving away from quality or ambition; it was more about finding a model and a culture that felt more aligned with how I wanted to work and contribute over the longer term.

The main things I was looking for were a tightly knit team, greater ownership, and more influence over the shape of the work itself. In a smaller team environment, you can often have more direct input into the way the answer is developed, the way the client relationship is managed, and even the way the firm itself evolves. That was attractive to me. I wanted to be closer to both the problem and the decision making, rather than only owning one part of the overall process. I was also looking for an environment where I could contribute not just to delivering excellent work, but also to how the broader platform grows.

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Why BC Startegy is an exciting workplace for ex-consultants‍

What attracted me to BC Strategy was the combination of strong people, an agile team structure, and the chance to make an impact from day one. The firm has a high-quality consulting foundation, but it is also still evolving, which creates real room for contribution. That was very appealing to me. I liked the idea of joining a team where I could not only work on interesting client problems, but also help shape the way the firm grows and develops. That opportunity to have influence beyond just day-to-day delivery was an important part of the appeal.

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How the role differs From MBB

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What feels different is the level of agility and proximity. The teams are leaner with less overhead, decision making is faster, and there is generally more room to exercise judgment without as much institutional process around every step. I also feel much closer to clients. In some cases that means embedding more deeply into their teams, understanding their internal dynamics in greater detail, and sometimes even contributing to their internal processes rather than only delivering recommendations from the outside. There is also more freedom to shape your own path. Compared with a more structured MBB environment, that creates a different kind of responsibility: you have more autonomy, but also more accountability for defining where you can add value.‍

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Why Australia

Australia appealed to me as a safe, well-functioning and high-lifestyle developed country, but it was also the sense of distance and novelty that drew me in. There was something exciting about moving somewhere so geographically far from where I had previously lived and worked. At the same time, everything I knew about Australia suggested that it offered a very attractive combination of professional opportunity and quality of life. So the move was partly rational and partly driven by curiosity. I wanted to experience a different part of the world and test myself in a new environment, while still being in a country with strong institutions and a very liveable lifestyle.
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The relocation process

Overall, it was manageable, although that was probably helped by the fact that I do not have a huge amount of logistical baggage. I was able to stay relatively mobile, which made the move simpler than it might have been otherwise. The hardest practical part was definitely housing. Finding an apartment in Sydney was by far the most frustrating aspect of the relocation, because the market is extremely competitive and moves very quickly. So while the broader move was very doable, the rental search was the part that really tested my patience.

Life in Australia vs expectations

Overall, it has delivered on what I expected. Australia does offer the lifestyle quality, safety and general ease of living that attracted me in the first place. At the same time, living somewhere always reveals trade-offs that are harder to see from a distance. One thing I do miss at times is the density of culture-related experiences I associated with living in Russia, especially museums, theatres and exhibitions. That said, Australia has its own strengths, and cities like Melbourne help fill some of that gap. So my overall view is very positive, but with a more nuanced appreciation of what you gain and what you leave behind when you relocate internationally.

One of the most noticeable differences is how early people start their days and how naturally sport and outdoor activity are woven into everyday life. There is a much stronger culture of exercise, movement and general physical activity than in many parts of Europe, and I think that does contribute to how healthy people often seem. Another thing I have noticed is that people are generally willing to help and take pride in doing their jobs properly, even in roles that some societies might undervalue. That creates a pleasant everyday experience, because interactions often feel straightforward, constructive and low-friction. It gives daily life a kind of practical ease that you really notice once you have lived in a few different places.

Advice for consultants considering a move

I would say that there really are greener pastures outside the big firms, and MBB experience is genuinely valued in the market. But the most important thing is to be very clear on what you actually want from the move, whether that is more ownership, a different culture, a tighter team, or a different lifestyle. If you are clear on your priorities, the transition can be very rewarding; if you are not, it is easy to move into something that is different but not necessarily better for you.

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The Movemeon Group is actively working with BC Strategy on exciting consulting roles based in Australia.

Click here to view and apply on Movemeon now! Interested in other opportunities with BC Strategy? Get in touch with us at info@movemeon.com and we'll see where we can help.