From cancer research to wide-scale COVID modeling, my colleague Jessica Lamb’s career has been anything but linear. As I learned in a recent conversation with her, it’s this winding, exploratory nature that has made it so rewarding. Starting at McKinsey as a business analyst in 2008, Jessica expected her time at the company to be brief. But this 21-month contract soon led her on a path to an unexpected love for healthcare and analytics—and (fortunately!) she’s been with us ever since. Not long after her curiosity for advanced analytics was piqued, we acquired QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, enabling Jessica a unique opportunity to carve her career at the cutting edge of where healthcare and AI intersect. I was fascinated to hear how her day-to-day role transformed overnight during COVID. As she shared her experience, I was stunned by her agility, shifting from a traditional client-facing role to becoming the face of the scenario-simulating model she helped build, all while navigating her new role at home as a mom. As a parent myself, her response to whether she had any passions outside of work felt all too relatable: “People talk about these hobbies. I respond with, 'When do you do that?' I have a four-year-old son. So he is my hobby. He’s awesome; both gifted and autistic. I spend a lot of my time just fascinated by how awesomely his brain works and trying to figure out how to best engage with him on things.” When I asked about her experience at QuantumBlack, Jessica was quick to share her pride in being part of the team. “It’s been great. It’s a good vibe with a very creative atmosphere and amazingly talented people. Honestly, it’s a little more casual which I think has somewhat filtered through to the rest of the firm. I like how exploratory it is and the nature of wanting to truly get under things.” #McKinseySpotlight
Asutosh Padhi - I could have just told you how awesome Jessica Lamb is!
Jessica Lamb has been awesome since high school ! 💪
Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. Focused on digital transformations across private and public sector
1moAsutosh Padhi : Jessica Lamb is an inspiration to many. She is a towering client leader who lives to make a difference to patients and citizens using her expertise in healthcare and AI. Great to see you in conversation with her and profiling her! The world needs more Jessica Lambs!!!