Women at McKinsey

 

About Anu

Anu Madgavkar is a partner with the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s business and economics research arm.

Anu leads global research focused on labor markets and human capital, technology’s economic impact, gender economics, digital and financial inclusion, and inclusive growth. She has led research efforts focused on India’s economic growth, labor market, and digital economy.

Some MGI reports she has coauthored include The future of work after COVID-19; The future of women at work: Transitions in the age of automation; The power of parity: How advancing women’s equality can add USD 12 trillion to global growth; The social contract in the 21st century; Digital identification: A key to inclusive growth; Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them; People on the move: Global migration’s impact and opportunity; and Digital India: Technology to transform a connected nation.

Anu was previously based in Mumbai, where she co-led McKinsey’s financial institutions work in India. She served a range of clients, including top-tier global banks, Indian state-owned banks, capital markets, and infrastructure-focused financial institutions across portfolio mix, organization, and product market strategy in wealth management, wholesale banking, life insurance, and retail banking.

She has advised business and government leaders on economic development and frequently contributes to policy debates through articles and conference presentations. She serves on the economic affairs council of the Confederation of Indian Industry, The Conference Board’s labour-market advisory committee in the United States, and the advisory board of Rocket Learning, a not-for-profit organization that facilitates education tech and catalyses early childhood education and foundational learning for millions in India.

 

Related Video

 

Selected published work

Rekindling US productivity for a new era, McKinsey Global Institute, February 2023

Performance through people: Transforming human capital into competitive advantage, McKinsey Global Institute, February 2023

Addressing the revolving door in risk,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2022

Overcoming the fear factor in hiring tech talent,” McKinsey Global Institute, August 2022

Delivering the US manufacturing renaissance,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Freelance, side hustles, and gigs: Many more Americans have become independent workers,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Learning and earning: The bold moves that change careers,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

Human capital at work: The value of experience,” McKinsey & Company, June 2022

The path to sustainable and inclusive growth,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022

The CEO agenda in 2022: Harnessing the potential of growth jolts,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022

The rise and rise of the global balance sheet: How productively are we using our wealth?,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2021

A sustainable, inclusive, and growing future for the United States,” McKinsey & Company, November 2021

Our future lives and livelihoods: Sustainable and inclusive and growing,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2021

Financial data unbound: The value of open data for individuals and institutions,” McKinsey & Company, June 2021

This is the COVID consumer trend most likely to stick beyond the pandemic,” Market Watch, June 2021

What’s next for consumers, workers, and companies in the post-COVID-19 recovery,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2021

How Asia can prepare for the future of work after COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021

A conversation on artificial intelligence and gender bias,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021

How to spend USD 12 trillion,” Project Syndicate, March 2021

The future of work after COVID-19,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2021

COVID-19 has revived the social contract in advanced economies – for now. What will stick once the crisis abates?,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2020

“Remote work is here to stay. But who will be doing it?,” World Economic Forum, November 2020

What’s next for remote work: An analysis of 2,000 tasks, 800 jobs, and nine countries,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2020

Ten things to know about gender equality,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2020

View: Government needs to put energy and momentum behind recent reform initiatives,” The Economic Times, September 2020

Don’t let the pandemic set back gender equality,” Harvard Business Review, September 2020

India’s turning point: An economic agenda to spur growth and jobs,” McKinsey Global Institute, August 2020

Countering the gender-regressive shock of COVID-19 in Asia,” Financial Times, August 2020

COVID-19 and gender equality: Countering the regressive effects,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

Reopening India: Implications for economic activity and workers,” McKinsey & Company, May 2020

The Covid-19 crisis: Exposing underlying vulnerabilities in social contracts,” VOX EU, April 2020

Where women stand,” Project Syndicate, April 2020

Getting ahead of coronavirus: Saving lives and livelihoods in India,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020

Advanced economies’ missing link,” Project Syndicate, February 2020

The new social contract in the 21st century,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2020

The future of work for women and how to get there,” World Economic Forum, January 2020

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2019

Will automation improve work for women or make it worse?,” Harvard Business Review, July 2019

China and the world: Inside the dynamics of a changing relationship,” McKinsey Global Institute, July 2019

The gig economy has an identity problem and digital ID could fix it,” Quartz, June 2019

Our automated future will affect women differently than men,” Fast Company, June 2019

The future of women at work: Transitions in the age of automation,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2019

The present and future of women at work in Canada,” McKinsey & Company, June 2019

Why the world needs “good” digital ID,” OECD Forum blog, May 2019

Digital identification: A key to inclusive growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2019

Digital India: Technology to transform a connected nation,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2019

How governments in emerging economies can help boost and sustain growth,” McKinsey & Company, March 2019

Accelerating gender parity: What can governments do?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2019

The case for digital identification,” Project Syndicate, January 2019

China and the world: Inside a changing economic relationship,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2018

Preparing millennials for the age of automation,” Live Mint, December 2018

The role companies play in boosting growth in emerging markets,” World Economic Forum, September 2018

The best performing emerging economies emphasize competition,” Harvard Business Review, September 2018

The emerging world’s high achievers,” Project Syndicate, September 2018

Outperformers: High-growth emerging economies and the companies that propel them,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2018

A woman’s place is in the digital revolution,” Project Syndicate, August 2018

How can digital technology speed up gender equality?,” Equals, July 2018

Europe’s refugees: Refocusing on integration,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2018

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Asia Pacific,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2018

Partnering for parity: Strengthening collaborations for gender equality,” McKinsey & Company, October 2017

Power of parity: Gender equality across Asean,” The Straits Times, July 2017

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Canada,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2017

A new emphasis on gainful employment in India,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2017

What’s now and next in analytics, AI, and automation,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2017

China’s role in the next phase of globalization,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2017

India’s migration opportunity,” Business Standard, April 2017

Technology, jobs, and the future of work,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2016

Global migration’s impact and opportunity,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2016

The great income stagnation,” Project Syndicate, September 2016

Miles to go: Stepping up progress toward gender equality,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2016

India’s ascent: Five opportunities for growth and transformation,” McKinsey Global Institute, August 2016

Poorer than their parents? A new perspective on income inequality,” McKinsey Global Institute, July 2016

The working women windfall,” Project Syndicate, June 2016

Realizing gender equality’s $12 trillion economic opportunity,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2016

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in the United States,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2016

The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in India,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2015

How advancing women’s equality can add $12 trillion to global growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, September 2015

India’s tech opportunity: Transforming work, empowering people,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2014

From poverty to empowerment: India’s imperative for jobs, growth, and effective basic services,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2014

India’s internet opportunity,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2013

Talent tensions ahead: A CEO briefing,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2012

The world at work: Jobs, pay, and skills for 3.5 billion people,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2012

Radio interviews

Economic Tectonics,” BBC World Service, The Compass, March 2017

Past experience

Peregrine Capital
Equity analyst

Moody’s (affiliated credit rating agency in India)
Credit analyst

ANZ Grindlays Bank, Mumbai
Foreign exchange dealer

Education

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
MBA

St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
Bachelors degree, economics and statistics

Related Video

 

What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud about how we, as a firm, and at the McKinsey Global Institute, really shape and influence the way global leaders think about important issues. I think our work around gender parity and sizing its economic value changed the course of the debate. We were also the first to put society issues side-by-side with economic ones, as we thought about capturing that opportunity. That changed the way world leaders like Shinzo Abe, Hillary Clinton, and Melinda Gates talked about these issues and framed them.
More recently, we are setting aspirations for whole nations in terms of economic empowerment, rather than just poverty reduction. That changes the way world leaders are thinking about these issues, including most recently at the B20 in Indonesia, where we really set the course for a much bolder set of aspirations for countries to take forward.March 24, 2023

This Women’s History Month, we’re chatting with McKinsey leaders about their role as women in the workplace and beyond. Today, we’ll hear from Anu Madgavkar, a McKinsey Global Institute partner who leads global research focused on labor markets and human capital, technology’s economic impact, gender economics, digital and financial inclusion, and inclusive growth. For more Q&As throughout the month, bookmark this page.

Tell us about a career-defining moment

For me, an important, career-defining moment was at the time of the global financial crisis. I was a consulting partner serving clients, but the McKinsey Global Institute opened up a position, and I was attracted to it.

I think it was the disruption in the environment around me that prompted me to really think about what I wanted to do with my professional life and where I would find purpose and meaning. I seized the opportunity, and it defined the next 10 years or more of my professional path at the firm.

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud about how we, as a firm, and at the McKinsey Global Institute, really shape and influence the way global leaders think about important issues. I think our work around gender parity and sizing its economic value changed the course of the debate. We were also the first to put society issues side-by-side with economic ones, as we thought about capturing that opportunity. That changed the way world leaders like Shinzo Abe, Hillary Clinton, and Melinda Gates talked about these issues and framed them.

More recently, we are setting aspirations for whole nations in terms of economic empowerment, rather than just poverty reduction. That changes the way world leaders are thinking about these issues, including most recently, at the B20 in Indonesia, where we really set the course for a much bolder set of aspirations for countries to take forward.

What’s a big or surprising lesson you’ve learned as a woman in the workplace?

As a woman in the workplace, I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to recognize and embrace sponsors very proactively. I don’t think I, myself, over the years was fully aware of the degree of sponsorship and support I was receiving from many firm leaders.

Often times, I would wonder why people set up time to chat with me or pointed me in the direction of opportunities. I just wasn’t aware of how I could work with my sponsors and had I been so, I might have done more. So this is something I would encourage every young woman to really think about; cultivate those sponsor relationships very proactively.

How do you stay energised?

I find that staying energized is closely linked to whether I feel I’m learning new things. I like to learn, and I’m fortunate in that with the work that I do, and I guess that’s true for many of us, we find learning opportunities, new topics to think about all the time.

I also like learning new life skills. So I feel I’ve learned some important life skills relatively late in life—swimming, driving, cooking—but these have given me energy every time I’ve pursued them. I also love spending time with relationships that matter and de-stress me—my children, my dog. These are important to me and provide energy to me.

What advice do you have for women in their professional journeys?

For women considering their professional journeys, it is important to have the mindset that they can and should stretch themselves. Don’t feel constrained by the role that you are currently in. Don’t feel constrained by things that you feel you can do relatively easily, or that you’re good at, and you’ve proven that you’re good at it.

You can stretch into new less-defined areas that might challenge you—that might even frighten you. It’s well-worth doing that, because it’s by stretching yourself, taking on new challenges, and learning new skills that you really advance. The chances are, you can discover your potential and live up to it if you do that.

www.mckinsey.com