Managing Director at Nuon
What did your McKinsey career look like? My first engagement was in the energy sector and in my first years I tried to broaden my business horizon with projects in the telecom and high tech industries. After 2 years I became an engagement manager leading projects in many different sectors. This experience was great, and it also showed me that the energy sector really was ‘my thing’. So my last 3 years I worked for energy clients only.
What is the best thing you have learned from you McKinsey time? I learned that rigor is really important. You should never make any concessions on quality. If you make decisions based on facts then you’re on the right track.
If there’s one thing you would like to have done when you were at McKinsey, what would it be? Although I did many engagements abroad, I never worked in a developing country for McKinsey. It was my own choice, because I wanted to be close with my wife and children, but I heard so many cool stories about colleagues working in Africa.
What advice do you have for someone considering McKinsey? People considering McKinsey should decide if they are willing to keep on developing themselves. I joined McKinsey as an experienced hire, which meant that I suddenly needed to learn a lot of new things, even though I was used to teaching and managing other people. Although it felt like a step back at first in that respect, I soon learned a lot of new skills.
What do you do today? I am currently the Managing Director of Business Development & Projects Division of Nuon, the business unit Benelux of Vattenfall. I am responsible for the development and construction of all assets in the company, i.e. conventional power plants, wind parks, bio-energy, solar installations, gas storage facilities, pipelines etc. We are currently developing assets in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. I am also part of the management team of Nuon.
Is your McKinsey background relevant for your current career? Yes, all in all, I don’t think I would ever be in this function if I did not work for McKinsey.
Where do you want to be in 10 years from now? I would not mind being the CEO of a major energy company.
Arnoud left McKinsey as an associate principal, and has an M.Sc. Chemical Engineering TU Delft and M.B.A. from INSEAD.