Nina Xu

In her last internship, Nina worked with many clients to help them reach their aspirational identity. Specifically, Nina worked with an academic institution to help facilitate an executive retreat. Nina is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Questions for Nina:

1. What did you find most enjoyable about your experience at MacPhie?

   I was blown away by how much MacPhie prioritized my personal and professional development. Even as an intern, my voice was always valued whether it was expressing interest for specific engagements or sharing my perspective during team and client discussions. Additionally, I was encouraged to learn from my colleagues, take on responsibilities beyond the intern level, and push myself outside of my comfort zone to pursue my own initiatives.

2. Do you feel you were challenged in your role at MacPhie?

   Working at MacPhie means operating in a challenging and fast-paced environment but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. From day one, I was expected to prepare client-ready deliverables and contribute my insights during engagements. Every day was different and posed its own challenges but that’s what allowed me to learn so much from my experience at MacPhie.

3. What was the most valuable thing you learned at MacPhie?

   How to bring clarity to ambiguity! I learned how to capture only the most important insights when working with a lot of information, and structuring them into a clear recommendation. Every client had their own set of needs and wants. Addressing these expectations meant providing only the most valuable findings to solve their case.

4. What was your most memorable experience at MacPhie?

   I was staffed on a facilitation engagement for a post-secondary institution with Hugh. Since it was only the two of us, I was expected to prepare the session’s agenda, runsheet, and presentation. I was even brought on-site to help facilitate the session and share my insights at the table. Being a part of this engagement from start to finish, and expanding my responsibility at every step, made this both a challenging and extremely rewarding experience.

5. What have you been up to since you left MacPhie? / What plans do you have moving forward?

   I’m currently finishing my last year of undergrad at Ivey Business School. My experience at MacPhie has pushed me to pursue a career within the strategy space. The skills I developed from this internship have also guided my academic career – allowing me to become an effective leader and contributor to team projects and student clubs.