McKinsey in the Middle East

McKinsey has worked in this region since 1957 and now runs eight offices across it. For candidates, this is one of the most active recruiting markets the firm has anywhere.

Where the offices are

Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Doha, Dubai, Karachi, Kuwait, Manama and Riyadh. Riyadh and Dubai carry the heaviest project load, driven by government transformation work and Vision 2030 programmes. Consultants staff across borders rather than staying in one city, so flexibility on location helps your application rather than hurting it.

The firm's scale in this region

Offices, nationalities and the firm's history in the region are published by McKinsey. Employee headcount and revenue are market estimates: the firm does not disclose either. Headcount covers all staff in the region, not consulting staff alone. Growth is concentrated in Saudi Arabia, where Vision 2030 programmes drive the largest share of public sector work.

Where the firm works in the region

McKinsey pioneered the national vision model here and has worked on transformation programmes across Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon among others. That history is the firm's defining regional asset and still shapes the work it wins.

Where the firm is strongest here:

• Healthcare
• National programmes and public strategy
• Digital and analytics, where it leads among the strategy houses
• Economic development and public finance

How teams actually work

This matters more than candidates expect. McKinsey runs flat structures with small on-the-ground teams, heavy involvement from senior experts and grey-hair advisors, and a substantial background network supporting research, analytics and slide production.

Notable work in the region

These are engagements that have been publicly reported or that the firm itself publicises. They are a useful guide to the kind of work you would actually be staffed on.

• Saudi Vision 2030. McKinsey's role in co-designing the Kingdom's transformation plan has been widely documented, including by Brookings and in academic work on consultancies in the Arab world
• Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. The firm describes working with the Emirate's leadership on investment strategy, energy and infrastructure growth, and education and healthcare
• Bahrain. Long-standing work with public and private institutions on growth strategy and capability building
• Emirates NBD. A reported partnership with Dubai's government-owned bank to build artificial intelligence and advanced analytics capability
• LIV Golf. Reported work with Saudi Arabia on the financial strategy behind the tour
• MENAP Economic Integration Barometer. Launched with Majid Al Futtaim at the World Economic Forum

The firm also runs regional talent programmes including Qiyada Emerging Leaders and the Abu Dhabi Leadership Development Programme, which are worth knowing about if you are a GCC national.

Who leads the offices

Worth knowing before you network. McKinsey publishes its regional leadership, and a specific, informed approach to the right person beats a generic one every time.

Leadership changes. Check the firm's regional people page before you reach out.

The recruiting process

1. Application and CV screen. Where most candidates are cut.
2. McKinsey Solve. The firm's online assessment, used here as it is globally.
3. First round. Case and personal experience interviews.
4. Final round. Same format, more senior interviewers.

What the case is actually like here

This is where candidates get caught out. At McKinsey, interviewers have the freedom to design and run their own cases, built from real projects they have delivered. There is no central bank of approved cases they are required to work from.

What that means in the room:

• The case is a discussion, not a sequence. You will not move cleanly through structure, then brainstorming, then maths, then judgement, then synthesis
• Expect frequent interjections. The interviewer will cut in, redirect, and push on a point before you have finished the thought
• The case reflects what that person actually worked on, so the sector and the shape of the problem vary far more than in a standardised process

The three MBB firms sit on a spectrum here, and preparing for all of them with a single approach is the most common preparation mistake we see.

The PEI, and why it decides more outcomes than people expect

The personal experience interview carries real weight at McKinsey, and candidates consistently under-prepare it.

Be ready to go very deep on your experiences, including things that are not on your CV. The questioning does not stop at what you did. It goes to why you did it, what you were thinking at the time, what you would do differently, and what it says about you.

Where candidates lose

1. Under-preparing the fit and behavioural interview. The most common failure at McKinsey specifically.
2. Not holding a structured conversation. The interviewer is testing whether you can think clearly and quickly while being interrupted.
3. Not showing potential. Beyond solving the case, they are assessing ambition, impact, and the trajectory they think you are on.

The market right now

Worth knowing before you apply. After several years of very heavy spending, Saudi Arabia has begun prioritising outlays and has pulled back on consulting spend. Bloomberg reported in 2026 that business from PIF was down sharply across the major firms, though none has been shut out and work around the giga-projects continues.