Stephanie Khairallah

Stephanie Khairallah is an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.4 She has over 8 years of professional experience and specializes in serving investors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on strategic projects, including portfolio management.4

Professional Background

Stephanie's role at McKinsey involves working on important strategic initiatives for clients in the MENA region. Her expertise appears to be particularly focused on:

• Investor services
• Strategic project management
• Portfolio optimization

Education and Early Career

Stephanie has a strong educational background in biology:

• She received her B.S. degree in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.2
• She initially pursued an M.A. degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UCSB but later switched to the Ph.D. program.2

During her time at UCSB, Stephanie:

• Worked as an Undergraduate Researcher starting from her sophomore year.2
• Completed an honors thesis on Set1-family histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferases.2
• Volunteered in the Neurology Unit at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.2

As a graduate student, she focused on identifying the role of T-Type calcium channels during neural development.2

Expertise and Contributions

Stephanie has contributed to McKinsey's insights on consumer behavior and retail trends in the Gulf region. She co-authored an article highlighting three key characteristics of Gulf consumers:

1. Increased price sensitivity
2. Rising e-commerce adoption
3. More sophisticated and socially-conscious shopping habits13

The article emphasizes the need for consumer companies in the Gulf to adapt to these changing trends by focusing on consumer data, expanding into new products aligned with evolving customer needs, and developing personalized marketing initiatives.3

Stephanie's work at McKinsey demonstrates her expertise in consumer insights, strategic planning, and market analysis, particularly in the context of the Gulf region's dynamic consumer and retail sectors.