Ian Davis is McKinsey's tenth managing director. A British national, Ian has been with the firm for more than 25 years and was formerly head of McKinsey's London office. Although he remains based in London, Ian spends a significant amount of time travelling to visit McKinsey offices and clients around the world.

Speaking about his role, Ian has said, "A managing director is a servant leader: elected, not appointed. The managing director role reflects the contrasts between a partnership and a corporation. To me, one of the joys of being a private partnership is that we can set our own objectives and metrics, consistent with our values. I believe that the firm's strategy and direction are deeply embedded in our mission and values . My primary focus is on the future health of the firm, rather than short-term performance."

As McKinsey's leader, Ian challenges firm members to think about and embrace Distinctiveness, Values and Innovation in all that they do. These are his three priority themes, outlined in 2003, his first year as managing director. Ian defines 'distinctiveness' as the aspiration that in everything we do people will say, “Only McKinsey could do that.”  The quest for innovation is a charge by Ian to experiment more and try new ideas and approaches to client service so that the firm remains fresh, vibrant, and relevant to our clients.

Ian emphasizes the importance of knowledge development by publishing articles in external publications a couple times a year. Recently authored pieces from the Financial Times and The Economist are available below.