Empowering Future Leaders: The HEC Paris MBA Women in Leadership Club Connects with Bain & Company

In October, 15 women from the HEC Paris MBA had the rare opportunity to visit Bain & Company’s Paris office for a case-cracking workshop and networking cocktail led by senior managers. During the session, participants learned about Bain’s work culture and how the firm mentors women to step into managerial and leadership roles.

“We hosted this event to give women a chance to connect with Bain in a more informal way to hear firsthand how other women have built their careers, navigated challenges, and found success here,” said Charlotte Bouttier, senior manager in the Paris office and HEC on-campus representative.  “It’s a powerful opportunity to engage with women at Bain, share experiences, and get a real sense of what a Bain journey could look like.”

The HEC Paris MBA Women in Leadership Club liaised with Bain to organize the case-cracking session especially for women in the September 2025 intake.

“Bain & Company is consistently recognized for their culture, and the HEC Paris Women in Leadership Club deeply values our long-standing partnership with the firm," said Co-President Artemis Louka of the HEC Paris MBA Women in Leadership Club.

"Through Bain internal initiatives such as Women at Bain, our club celebrates our shared values and mutual commitment to advancing female leadership,” she continued. “We are sincerely grateful for the time and insights generously shared by the senior managers of the Paris office. This collaboration reflects our club’s enduring mission to connect MBA candidates with rewarding careers in dynamic fields such as strategy consulting, while empowering HEC women globally with the exposure and skills to pursue their ambitions.”

It gave students an opportunity to connect with Bain one-on-one, rather than being in a wider audience, said Antoinette Jneid, MBA ’27.

With a global presence in 67 cities across 40 countries, Bain partners with over 60% of the Global 500 across industries, offering participants a real-world glimpse into the breadth of opportunities available in strategy consulting.

Some of the students shared concerns ranging from having little to no consulting experience to navigating the industry as women. Patricia Agustín, senior manager at Bain & Company, addressed their questions and offered reassurance. 

She emphasized that Bain does not look for a single type of background or prior experience, recognizing that many MBA graduates are transitioning into new careers.

On the topic of being a woman in consulting, Patricia noted that she has never felt treated differently by clients or other team members because of her gender. “It is more about the challenge of the role itself than about the gender,” she said.

Patricia acknowledged, however, that certain traits – such as confidence in speaking up with clients or more senior people – can vary among individuals but, emphasized that Bain’s supportive environment helps bridge those gaps. “And in the end, it's like everything, you learn by doing,” she concluded.

Oghenekaro Faith Isiorho, MBA ’27, said the event was especially helpful for professionals transitioning into consulting, including herself as a former lawyer. “They really want to teach you and help you grow and work very well.”

Cracking The Case

Bain presented a case about a beverage company balancing growth ambitions with environmental impact. Through active discussion on timelines, budget, costs, etc., students crafted and presented practical and feasible solutions. 

“I love it that every time the problem is new, and you get to follow a structured method to solve it,” said Aayushee Shukla, MBA ’27. “You get to develop your own style of cracking a case. I like to ask a lot of follow-up questions in the beginning, so I get to know what the problem is exactly.”

In the end, it’s a discussion, and the objective for Bain is to understand how candidates tackle complex business issues, structure their thoughts and back up their recommendation with data, Charlotte explained. “There is no right answer.”

Anna Dona-Hie, senior manager in the Paris office, explained Bain’s Answer First problem-solving approach, which encourages consultants to start by identifying the most likely solution, then prioritize their analysis on that area before refining the overall case.

Regarding their growth in the firm and industry specialization, Anna told the women “When you join Bain, you will get the opportunity to explore a lot of different cases, I encourage you to see as many different industries and topics as you can in Corporate. In Private Equity, we try to work on the biggest deals on the market.”

Shalaka Lawrence, MBA ’27, was already impressed with Bain prior to the networking event. During a half-hour session with Bain in September, on campus, Shalaka spoke with a representative expressing curiosity as she was more keen on chain strategy roles versus consulting at the time.

“The Bain representative was very kind to me. When I said I’m looking for roles in London, she immediately put me in contact with people in the London office to help me understand what the interview process would be like. That made me feel like I definitely want to work for this company, because people are very nice.”