29-year old McK becoming Finance Minister in Serbia

I've been reading here for a while but this is my first post as I'm curious what you guys think on this story (haven't found a post on it here yet, apologies for any double posting):

Quote from Bloomberg Business Week (I don't have the permission to post links yet unfortunately, but it's very easy to verify via Google):

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic will name a McKinsey & Co. associate in New York to lead the Finance Ministry as the government prepares for talks to join the European Union and win a new international loan accord. Lazar Krstic, a 2007 graduate of Yale University (...) agreed to take the job (...). At age 29 (...) he would be the country’s youngest-ever Finance Ministry head.

Some more background I got from other newspapers (I'm not from Serbia, btw): Kristic is backed by who appears to be the "strong man" of Serbian politics, deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vucic. So there's someone there to tell him who to present his ideas to before making them public to avoid seeing them jeopardized by interest groups,...

What do you guys think you would say if you received a call with such an offer? Personally, I think I'd definitely say "Fuck, Yeah!".

Of course it is a risky move - support by other politicians can fade quickly once your ideas get in the way of theirs, and even if the support is sustained, it is far from guaranteeing any success. You might as well end up wound up in fruitless discussions about your reforms and see yourself moved out of office after the next elections or in the next government reshuffle whithin two year's time, with zero progress to show for. But even if that happens, I think your CV will look just great. You'll be in your early 30's with MBB and top-level government experience under your belt, I think there will be plenty of interesting options for you, both within the exclusive circles of International Politics and the top tier of the Private Sector. So the downside risk is low imho, while the upside is awesome: you have the chance to get your own country on a better track, generating a sustainable and lasting impact (like getting your country into the EU) that will create brighter future for you and for your kids. And the exit options won't look dire neither.

So in my view it's an absolute killer career move, what do you think?

 
Best Response

killer move... no idea how he got chosen for that position, he is tbh richly underqualified. i am sure that kid is smart, but he just got into swimming with sharks, pigs and criminals in that shit place.

i truly hope he does something good for his country. awesome opportunity anyway.

edit: when i think about it, look at this guy they had some decade ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C5%BEidar_%C4%90eli%C4%87

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2001-06-10/bozidar-djelic

thats some CV, man... check under Education and Career /damn

short wso preftige summary: by y26. has MBA from HBS (and shitloads of other diplomas from top schools including Harvard, HEC, EHESS etc.) by y28. is partner at McKinsey (could be wrong but he was elected partner between 1993-2000)

-quoting wiki-

Education

MBA (Master of Business Administration), Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA, 1991. Fulbright scholarship. Specialized in finance and marketing MPA (Master of Public Administration), J.F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, 1991. Lavoisier scholarship. Specialized in economic policy making MA in Economics (Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies), Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, France, 1988. Thesis on the effects of real exchange rate instability on growth in emerging countries under the direction of Charles Wyplosz HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales) diploma, Jouy-en-Josas, France, 1987. Entered this top French business school after a national entrance exam with 7% acceptance ratio. Specialized in strategy and finance IEP (Institut d’Etudes Politiques) Lauréat (summa cum laude, graduated in the top 5% of a class of 800), Paris, France, 1987. Specialized in public administration and law Twice winner (lauréat du Concours général) of the prestigious national French scholarly competition in geography and economy in 1980 and 1981.

Career

From 2008 till 2011, Božidar Djelić was the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, as well as the Minister for Science and Technological Development. During that period he was chief negotiator for the entry of Serbia into the European Union (EU). Coordinator of all EU financial support. In charge of the elaboration of the “Serbia 2020” strategy, matching the equivalent EU plan. In charge of the science, technology, innovation and competitiveness agenda of Serbia. Leading cabinet level efforts in the fight against poverty, sustainable development and UN Millennium Development Goals. In charge of the integration of the Roma, the most vulnerable minority group of the country. Presided over the organization of the 2009 Belgrade Universiade sports event. From 2007. till 2008, he was Sole Deputy to the Prime Minister. Chief negotiator for the entry of Serbia into the EU. Governor for Serbia of the World Bank Group and Deputy Governor of the EBRD.

Djelic was also the director of Credit Agricole GROUP for Eastern Europe, in Paris, from 2005. till 2007. In that period he led the overall strategy in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union for the French cooperative bank, Credit Agricole, one of the largest banks in the world. Negotiated the purchase of two banks in the region. Oversaw a credit portfolio of 16 billion euros. In the period from 2001. till 2004, Djelić was the Minisiter of Finance and Economy of Serbia. He was non partisan member of the first democratic Serbian government after the Second World War. Created and directed a 12,000 person strong administration and managed a 10 bn euro budget during three years in one of the fastest and most successful public finance reforms in the countries in transition. Serbia has been recognized as the leading reformist country by the London-based European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) in 2001 and 2002. Božidar Đelić was elected as a Partner in McKinsey&COMPANY. Active during a seven-year period (1993-2000)in the Paris and Silicon Valley offices. Negotiated several dozen top management projects and led teams of hundreds of consulting and client team members. Specialized in financial institutions, media and technology. Selected as leader of the European Asset Management practice and as one of the seven members of the global Digital Council of the Firm.

He was also working as adviser to the Russian Government in Moskow (1992-1993) and during that period, he created and led the Macroeconomics and Finance Unit attached to the cabinet of the late Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov. Drafted key reform programs and legislation. Helped the Deputy Prime Minister and Privatization Minister Anatolii Chubais on the privatization program. Advised the late acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar on macroeconomic reform. Also advised the Polish Government in Warsaw, from 1991. till 1992. He was advisor on the Mass Privatization Program through investment funds of the Polish Privatization Ministry under the leadership of Janusz Lewandowski. Advised the Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz on macroeconomic reform and participated in the creation of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

 
animalz:
when i think about it, look at this guy they had some decade ago:

Dude, incredible CV. Though in a really shitty format, looks like an unmotivated intern did a poor copy+paste job from a resume. Wrap-up:

    Age 26: 2 undergrad and 3 post-grad degrees, all from top schools Government advisor to Poland (1y) and Russia (1y) (how the hell do you get such positions at that age??) McK (7y), made Partner Minister of Finance (3y) Director, Credit Agricole (2y) Deputy Prime Minister (3y)

This guy is not even 50 yet!!

 

I honestly don't know if I would accept the job. If I were offered to be US Secretary of the Treasury at the age of 29 I might decline the offer. Why? Because it's an incredibly intricate job--it's extremely complicated and would be very difficult to master the politics of it at such a young age, particularly if I had been overseas for over a decade.

That said, this is Serbia, after all. He literally may be the best that Serbia has to offer right now, and Serbia's Minister of Finance doubtless has far less positive/negative influence on the country and the world at large than other nations' counterparts. And if I were concerned just with resume building then I would definitely take the position. It's just a bit amazing to see someone so grossly under qualified named to this position--he very well may just be the Prime Minister's front man.

Edit: I'll also add that he will be serving the Serbian socialist party....

 

For those wondering how you get those positions at that age:

educational pedigree + family connections + work experience + 3rd world/low-end 1st world country

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 
D M:

For those wondering how you get those positions at that age:

educational pedigree + family connections + work experience + 3rd world/low-end 1st world country

you dont give a guy enough credit not a good answer.

the krstic kid has worked so damn hard.. he won a gold at maths olympics, is a member of mensa, and has had great academic achievements maybe you should add that to your list

dont be so jelly, the guy came from the bottom, city of Nis is a shit place in the south of shitty Serbia, he got scholarships for his studies, nothing was paid by his family nobody in the country supported the kid

 

Educational pedigree + work experience covers everything you said, so I'm not sure how I didn't give him credit. And sure he worked hard. He's also a genius, which doesn't really hurt the process.

And the country did support the kid. He was offered a scholarship to study in Serbia, but decided to study in the US instead. Maybe his family doesn't have connections that helped him get the position, but maybe it does. Do you know him personally? Do you know the effort his family put into raising him?

Good talk.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

I would trust this 29 year old kid over any one of those "more experienced" commies.

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

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