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Management consulting is known as one of the toughest and high-pressure career paths out there. Take it from me\u2014I started my career at Bain & Company in Brussels, where I worked up to 60 hours a week and often didn\u2019t come home till 11 pm.<\/p>\n
Christope De Vusser, Global Managing Partner of Bain & Company, is an inspirational leader who thinks differently. He recently became the first European to lead the American consulting giant, off the back of his widely-praised performance in the company\u2019s competitive private equity division.<\/p>\n 41<\/p>\n Bain & Co.\u2019s rank on the 2024 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n De Vusser strives for work-life balance. He doesn\u2019t work on weekends, enjoys being in nature and expands his horizons by visiting museums and avidly consuming books.\u00a0<\/p>\n He points towards AI as a revolutionary way for consultants to work smarter and crucially, find better balance. \u201c[The tools] are boosting not just my own productivity, but also doing that for colleagues as well\u201d he told me in our interview for Fortune.<\/em><\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n Bain & Co.\u2019s rank on the 2024 100 Best Large Workplaces for Millennials<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n His enthusiastic endorsement of AI won\u2019t lure me back to consulting, but perhaps this Fortune CEO Agenda profile will encourage you to take up the tools yourself.<\/p>\n This interview has been edited for brevity.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Fortune:<\/em>\u00a0What is the single most important project you are working on with your company?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d single out all our work with AI. It\u2019s going to have a profound impact on every industry and virtually every business\u2014this is evolving into another industrial revolution. AI is going to have far-reaching implications across multiple aspects of business strategy and the foundational capabilities companies rely on to run\u2014not just things like technology, cyber and data, but also important dimensions around areas such as customer and employee trust, organization and talent. So, the disruption and change it is bringing is a big deal\u2014for Bain and every client we work with.\u00a0<\/p>\n Which long-term trend are you most bullish about for society and the economy at large?<\/strong><\/p>\n Unquestionably, it\u2019s AI that has the greatest potential for transformation from individual businesses to society and economies. It\u2019s also important to recognize that such a powerful technology comes with risks. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve put in place policies and principles to ensure we meet our commitment to responsible AI use\u2014and we\u2019re also part of Microsoft\u2019s Responsible AI Partner Initiative. We have to steer cautiously and assure ourselves that, as we put AI to work, it\u2019s in ways that are responsible, ethical and safe. Like other businesses, we welcome regulation and coordination of policy. We\u2019re optimistic that AI will prove to be a widely empowering technology and a force for the common good, raising productivity and living standards.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m making use every day of all the generative AI tools that we\u2019ve been rolling out at Bain since the beginning of last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n If you were an economic policymaker, what would be your top priority?<\/strong><\/p>\n Europe, like most economies, has come through a period of extraordinary churn: the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, and the consequent energy disruption. A big challenge for Europe amid all the volatility is to deliver improved economic competitiveness and productivity that will ensure stronger growth over the longer term. It\u2019s that economic muscle that will give Europe the capacity to meet the challenges of the future\u2014achieving net zero, ensuring energy supply and security, and securing improved living standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n What time do you get up, and what part of your morning routine sets you up for the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n I usually get up around 6 to 7 am. I like to kick off the day with a good breakfast and catch up on the news, understand what\u2019s happening in business and affecting all the industries we work with, but also the wider news around the world before getting caught up on email and starting client and internal meetings.<\/p>\n Luc Castel\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What time do you work until? Do you continue sending emails during the night and\/or weekends?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m happy to work later in the evening when I need to but it\u2019s important to make time for family and to balance work and my private life. At Bain that\u2019s something we strive to make possible for our people and has helped us to be recognized as one of the world\u2019s best places to work. As much as I can, I don\u2019t work on weekends or holidays\u2014that\u2019s the time to keep the body and the mind fit, and to be with friends and family.<\/p>\n I like to make time for running, ideally outdoors, where I can experience and soak up the sounds of nature. Cultural pursuits are important to me, too\u2014I make time whenever I can to visit museums and galleries, enjoy the theater or watch contemporary dance at an arts center. I\u2019ve just enjoyed visiting the Olympics with my family and while in Paris I was also able to see the latest exhibition at the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce. I can highly recommend it!<\/p>\n What apps or methods do you use to be more productive?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m making use every day of all the generative AI tools that we\u2019ve been rolling out at Bain since the beginning of last year \u2013 Microsoft Co-pilot, ChatGPT-4, Zoom AI \u2013 and Sage, which is Bain\u2019s state-of-the-art proprietary chat platform for our teams. All of these tools let me work smarter and faster\u2014to do more in less time and to drive projects ahead with less need to call on input from others in our teams. So these tools are boosting not just my own productivity but also my colleagues as well.<\/p>\n \u201c[I\u2019d ask my idol] how they constantly reinvent themselves, evolve to stay at the top of their profession, and keep relevant to their audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Who is on your \u201cpersonal board\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m fortunate to be able to draw on the advice of some trusted advisors, both in business and personal friends, and within and outside Bain, who have advised and supported me throughout my career and in recent times. I have lifelong mentors within Bain and I benefit greatly from the counsel of many of the firm\u2019s senior leadership, past and present. There are also some clients I\u2019ve worked with over multiple decades who have become personal advisers and I can call on advice from a number of other external leadership advisors as well.<\/p>\n Joan Cros\u2014NurPhoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What book have you read, either recently or in the past, that has inspired you?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve recently read \u2018The Wizard and the Prophet\u2019 by Charles Mann. It looks at the big challenges the world faces \u2013 food, water, energy and climate change. Grappling with optimistic and pessimistic visions of AI right now, Mann\u2019s book offers a brilliant insight into what we might call the duality of innovation. On holiday I like to go for a lighter read. Traveling to New York lately I enjoyed Colson Whitehead\u2019s \u2018Harlem Shuffle\u2019. I also like to read authors from countries I visit \u2013 I read the excellent Haruki Murakami when I was in Japan not long ago.<\/p>\n Richard A. Brooks\u2014AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you could ask your idol one question, who would it be, and what would you ask?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a big fan of the arts, creativity and music \u2013 and some of the amazing performers whose work I enjoy. What interests me about that world, and what I\u2019d love to talk to people like the saxophonist and composer John Zorn, or Brad Mehldau, the jazz pianist, or even Beyonce, about, is how they constantly reinvent themselves, evolve to stay at the top of their profession, and keep relevant to their audiences. Sports are another source of inspiration \u2013 at the Olympics this week I saw Mondo Duplantis winning gold in the pole vault and set a new world record height of 6.25m \u2013 it\u2019s amazing how he constantly improves.<\/p>\n Michael Buckner\u2014Billboard\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As a consumer, what is your favorite company and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone recognizes what Apple has accomplished as a business from strategy, to product design and innovation, to delivery for its customers. Personally, I\u2019m also a big fan of Bower & Wilkins, the British maker of audio speakers and headphones \u2013 like Apple they have consistently delivered high-end quality products to consumers over multiple decades. I actually started out my Bain career 25 years ago in our Consumer Products practice. I still work closely with that part of the firm and I\u2019m really passionate about our work with those clients who bring world-beating products to the market.\u00a0<\/p>\n And to end on a lighter note: What was the last costume you wore?<\/strong><\/p>\n I dressed up in Seventies disco style to celebrate with some friends not so long ago \u2013 a chance to let go of all the daily business life of meetings and events and just have some fun. We danced to music beyond the Seventies \u2013 some hip- hop and soul as well as the classic disco tracks.<\/p>\n CEO Agenda provides unique insights into how leaders think and lead, and what keeps them busy in a world of constant change. We look into the lives, minds and agendas of CEOs at the world\u2019s most iconic companies.<\/em> Dive into our other CEO Agenda profiles<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\nDown to business<\/h2>\n
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Being productive<\/h2>\n
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Getting personal<\/h2>\n
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