Cameron Capel - Bain Associate Consultant
Meet Cameron Capel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-capel/
Cameron Capel is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Business Administration (Laurier) and Bachelor of Mathematics (Waterloo) Double Degree program. He is currently an associate consultant at Bain & Company. Previously, Cameron gained co-op experience during a term at OMERS Private Equity. Our team interviewed Cameron to gain insight on his experience in management consulting.
How did you get into management consulting with your private equity experience?
During my time at OMERS PE I was fortunate enough to get to know the Operations and Strategy team that had all previously spent time at management consulting firms. Learning more about the industry through discussions with those folks really piqued my interest and I ended up recruiting for consulting as a result.
How would you describe a day in the life of a Bain & Company consultant?
That’s a tough question because of the variability of what a day can look life. The project that you’re currently working on can significantly change what you do throughout the day. You could be travelling for part of the day if you’re client is in a different city, working heavily in Excel if you’re working on a piece of analysis, be in meetings all day if working closely with the client or have the day off if you’re not currently staffed. I would say the one general theme is that you’re likely going to be working with someone either on your team or from the client at some point throughout the day so enjoying those interactions is really important.
Do you have any advice for students who are looking to be a consultant?
Above all else, I would say be curious. As a generalist, you need to get comfortable with “ramping up” on a new industry or company very quickly. This process is a lot easier if you’ve already read at least on a high level something about the industry etc. simply because it was something that you were interested in. So be curious and read a lot.
What would you tell your 18-year-old self?
If you’re in a co-op program or have terms off where you can do internships, I’d highly recommend trying different things. The chance to spend a few months in a number of different industries, companies and positions all before graduating is a tremendous opportunity to truly understand what you want to do and what you wouldn’t like to do. This allows you to be far more directed in what post-grad opportunities you go after and be confident that you will enjoy what you end up doing.