After building an accomplished career in the United States for more than 13 years, former McKinsey & Company Associate Partner Dr. Neeraja Nagarajan has permanently returned to India. Sharing her journey on LinkedIn, she described the move as one shaped by career aspirations, personal convictions and a deep desire to contribute to India’s healthcare landscape.
Dr. Nagarajan recently completed a seven-year stint at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Reflecting on her decision, she acknowledged that many mentors advised her to remain in the United States and continue on a successful professional path. However, she said returning home had always been part of her long-term vision.
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She recalled leaving India more than a decade ago to pursue higher education and professional opportunities abroad. Her journey began at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she said she gained a broader understanding of public health and social issues while learning to challenge her own perspectives.
During her studies, she became more aware of topics such as social justice and systemic privilege, admitting that living abroad transformed the way she viewed responsibility and public service.
Following her academic journey, Dr. Nagarajan worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States. While she enjoyed practicing medicine, she gradually realised her passion lay beyond patient care. Through reflection, she concluded that creating large-scale systemic change would allow her to make a greater impact than treating individual patients alone.
That realisation eventually led her to McKinsey & Company, where she spent seven years advising organisations and working on large-scale healthcare initiatives. She credited the consulting firm with teaching her how important decisions are made, how leaders approach complex challenges, and how ideas can be translated into meaningful action.
In another LinkedIn post shared during her final week at McKinsey, Dr. Nagarajan reflected on several milestones from her consulting career. Among them, she highlighted contributing to programmes that supported the vaccination of millions of people. She also said her greatest takeaway was learning how strong leadership is built by empowering talented teams to achieve extraordinary results together.
Despite establishing a successful career overseas, Dr. Nagarajan said she consciously kept the possibility of returning to India alive. She chose not to surrender her Indian passport despite qualifying for a US green card and was transparent with her future husband from the beginning that she intended to move back to India someday.
Explaining why she ultimately returned, she said no life decision is purely professional. Instead, it is influenced by personal values, family, identity and purpose.
