As a specialist on the chemicals knowledge consulting team in McKinsey & Company’s North American Knowledge Center, Matthew Veves ’10 helps clients understand the strategic implications of material science disruptions relating to their area of business. His focus is on knowing what’s on the horizon in a fast-paced industry – and recognizing how to make the most of it.
“One of the cool things about Bryant is that there’s quite a bit of support for risk-taking."
Veves made his mark as Bryant University’s first Entrepreneurship major, and quickly set himself apart as an innovator by helping to organize the Social Entrepreneurship Rhode Island Summit, a day-long conference of 400 people at the University that featured nationally known experts on social entrepreneurship.
“I’ve always been interested in the areas where business and science overlap,” he says. “What I do is take scientific innovation and help translate that into a business context for our clients.”
His expertise in a growing and ever-changing field means he is in demand around the world. “I’ve spoken with clients on five continents about advanced materials. I would say that, collectively, I’ve spent half a year of my time at McKinsey in Southeast Asia. I’ve just returned from my sixth trip to Europe in the last year,” Veves says.
The constant change of pace is one of his favorite parts of working at McKinsey. “I like that it’s constantly pushing me to be better and to learn more. It’s also something different every day, either from a content perspective or just a different type of challenge in terms of interacting with a client. It forces you to grow quite a bit.”
Veves credits Bryant’s supportive atmosphere for helping to cultivate his innate desire to push himself. “One of the cool things about Bryant is that there’s quite a bit of support for risk-taking,” he says. “If you want to try something new, like I did with the conference – well, you can go do it. I think that the University does a good job of fostering that.”
“It’s better to skin your knees in college than when you’re out in the workforce,” he reflects. “Being able to step out into the world and deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, and to take calculated risks, has been a definite asset in my career.”
