"Advancing Diversity at Bain & Company: A Discussion with Modupe Akinola" by Marquis Parker

In July 2004, I had the good fortune of meeting Bain & Company's Head of Diversity Recruiting and Professional Development, Modupe Akinola, at the company's Pre-MBA Summer Program and was very impressed with her professionalism, kindness, and genuine desire to aid in the development of her colleagues. Upon meeting her, I saw her as a great inspiration to minority and women MBAs and, as such, thought that she would be a great person to be profiled in "The NetWork". Fortunately, she had time in her busy schedule to complete the following interview, in which she talks about her background, current role, and other insights.

Marquis: Could you give us a quick summary of your background? Where did you go to school? Where have you worked in the past?

Modupe: I grew up in New York City where I attended the Brearley school, an all girls private high school for 13 years (K-12). I attended Harvard College from 1992-1996 and spent one year after college in Accra, Ghana starting a non profit for street children. I left Ghana in 1997 to start as at Bain as an Associate Consultant (AC). I was in that position for 2 years was sponsored by Bain to attend HBS in September 1999. I graduated from HBS in 2001 and returned to Bain as a Consultant.

Marquis: How long have you been Bain & Company's Head of Diversity Recruiting and Professional Development and how did you transition into that role?

Modupe: I have been in this role since February 1999. I had been actively involved in diversity recruiting as an AC and as a Consultant, so this was just a continuation of some of the efforts I had started while I was on the consulting staff. Bain realized the need to have someone with full responsibility for diversity recruiting, not just as an extra 10% above and beyond client work. I have always been very passionate about increasing the number of African Americans and other individuals of color in the corporate environment, so I felt that assuming this role would give me the opportunity to do just that, at a larger scale, and at a firm that had contributed immensely to my personal and professional growth as a future business leader.

Marquis: What are the responsibilities of your position within the company? What do you see as the biggest value-add for Bain that you bring in that role?

Modupe: I am in charge of managing Bain's diversity recruiting efforts and developing a long term diversity recruiting strategy for the firm working with a variety of individuals across North America. I also manage our professional development efforts for all African Americans at Bain.

The greatest value-add for Bain is that I have been an AC and Consultant at the firm so I know what the job is all about. I know the challenges and am able to portray a realistic perspective of what it is like to be a consultant at Bain. I know the ins and outs and ups and downs and I have very strong relationships with key individuals within the firm so I can leverage these relationships in establishing specific diversity initiatives. I also know what it takes to succeed at Bain and can advise African Americans on skills that are critical to maintaining a positive trajectory. I think it also helps that I am African American so I can truly relate to the individuals of color whom we recruit.

Modupe Akinola

Marquis: I attended Bain's first Pre-MBA Summer Program for African-American rising first year students and was floored by what your team did for us. At the event, you told me that yours was the first of its kind in the Consulting industry. Did you run into any roadblocks within the company as you planned or received approval to put the program together? What events/features would you like to add to the Pre-MBA Summer Program in the future?

Modupe: The amazing thing about the summer program is that everyone at Bain was extremely enthusiastic and excited about it. From the Worldwide managing director, John Donahoe, to administrative staff, everyone wanted to play a role in making sure the program would be a success. So, we really hit no roadblocks at all. The feedback we received from participants was extremely positive, so there is very little we are planning to change. However, we would like to give participants more examples of client assignments so they can get a clearer sense of what consultants actually do on a daily basis as this was one piece of feedback we received.

Marquis: Is there any advice that you could give to our readers (African-American and otherwise) who are interested in pursuing job opportunities at Bain?

Modupe: Readers should get to know the firm by attending events on their respective campuses, visiting the website (www.bain.com) to learn more about the company, and really getting a sense of what differentiates Bain from other consulting firms by meeting and talking to representatives from Bain. Readers that are definitely interested in consulting should also work on mastering case interviewing skills. The case interviews is a very unique type of interview where practice really does make perfect, so it is important to begin the process of preparing for these interviews early.

Marquis: Now for a more general question. What general advice would you give for the minority and women MBA students and graduates who may be reading this article as they think ahead to their own careers?

Modupe: My advice is to follow your heart and your gut in pursuing your career. There are a lot of options out there and it is very easy to follow the herd and pursue jobs that you are "expected" to pursue, so I would encourage MBA students to really be introspective during the job hunt and to seriously think about what type of job would truly make them happy and pursue it with all their heart. They should think about some of the activities and classes they have enjoyed in business school and try to analyze why. They should think about the activities they enjoyed in college and even in high school and again analyze why. Whatever they discover in terms of themes that were drivers of enjoyment should be present in the job they choose to pursue. In addition, they should think of this process as a marathon and not a sprint. I truly believe that each of us has been put on this earth because there is a purpose we are supposed to fulfill. MBA students should think of each career choice as a puzzle piece which will help them eventually figure out their purpose and begin the process of fulfilling it.

Marquis: On behalf of the MBADiversity.com crew, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and advice with our readers. I wish you continued success at Bain.

Bio: Modupe Akinola is the Head of Diversity Recruiting and Professional Development at Bain & Company. Modupe first joined Bain & Company in 1997 as an Associate Consultant and returned in 2001 as a Consultant after receiving her MBA from Harvard Business School. While at Bain, Modupe has worked in consumer products, high tech, utilities, retail and healthcare. She has assisted clients in evaluating growth opportunities, developing business unit strategies, and assessing mergers and acquisitions. She has also participated in several of Bain's public service projects, including working as a consultant for the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School on long-term strategic planning and mentoring a 10th grade student at the Charlestown High School.

Prior to joining Bain, Modupe worked in Accra, Ghana where she created a nursery and literacy center for poor children. Her project was aimed at providing child care for underprivileged babies, teaching literacy to homeless mothers and children, and offering them the opportunity to learn a trade or receive formal education. She also worked as a Summer Associate for Merrill Lynch in its Retail Investment Banking division.

Modupe is a graduate of Harvard College where she received a B.A. magna cum laude in Psychology. She was born and raised in New York City, however, her parents are from Nigeria, Togo, and Ghana.

In her spare time, she enjoys public service, playing basketball, traveling, and wondering what new words her students and babies will say to her on her next visit to Ghana.

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