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Mrinalini Mirchandani is among the handful of women who have crossed gender barriers to reach a top rung in a consulting and audit firm. She has shattered the glass ceiling in an industry in which women occupy less than 18 per cent of the top management positions.
Mirchandani, who is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta is now Partner, McKinsey & Company. Her career graph encompasses consulting, investment banking and headhunting, all through which she has demonstrated a special passion for healthcare.
She developed a strong passion for the healthcare industry in her first year at McKinsey & Company. She has since helped develop various reports for the healthcare industry, such as OPPI’s ‘Healthcare in India: New Milestones, New Frontiers’, for which she provided the overall direction for the study.
Moving to investment banking at Merrill Lynch just ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, Mirchandani learnt the importance of resilience. Her decision to move to Egon Zehnder took everyone by surprise, but there she learnt the importance of leadership, which according to her, is “as crucial as finance and strategy”.
Mirchandani rejoined McKinsey & Company as a member of the global pharmaceutical and healthcare practice. She has had a stint as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, Director for Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch, a consultant at Egon Zehnder and finally, a Partner at McKinsey & Company.
Mirchandani has used her acumen in financial services and healthcare to lead her organisations to new heights. She is often referred to as a top woman leader in the corporate sector and cited as an example of gender diversity in the men-driven corporate world.
Mirchandani inspires other women striving for higher echelons of the corporate sector, with her sense of purpose and her ability to take on the challenges of a demanding career.