About Bruce
Bruce is global co-leader of our Operations Practice and has overseen its knowledge efforts globally since 2010. He is also a leader in our Advanced Industries and Aerospace & Defense practices, as well as our Global Energy and Materials and Healthcare Systems & Services practices. His current focus is advising clients in these sectors on a range of operations-related topics, including manufacturing, supply chain management, performance transformation, and continuous improvement.
Among his recent projects, Bruce has assisted aerospace manufacturers on new product development challenges and a range of sales, marketing and operational improvement topics, such as procurement, low-cost country sourcing and engineering productivity. He has also helped diagnose, design, and execute a performance-management and cultural-change initiative for several mines in North and South America that had merged. In merger situations, Bruce takes pride in being able to strike the right balance between “soft” cultural issues and “hard” performance metrics, helping merged entities drive rapid value creation and operational improvement while building strong employee engagement. Other recent projects include helping a steel manufacturer improve productivity and create a performance culture in its plants; developing strategies to lower a Latin American mine’s capital expenditures; and advising an aerospace equipment manufacturer on its market-entry strategy for China.
Originally from Scotland, Bruce has also lived in the United States, Switzerland and France, and has been based in Toronto since 2000. He led our Canadian Practice for seven years before assuming leadership of the Americas Operations Practice. Bruce has published articles on cash management under uncertainty, operational improvement, talent management, continuous improvement and cultural change, public-sector productivity, and corporate social responsibility. He was educated in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Switzerland, and his degrees include an MBA from the Wharton School and the Joseph H. Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from the University of Cambridge. Prior to joining McKinsey in 1986, he worked in brand management for Procter & Gamble.
Bruce serves as a board member for Trans-Canada Trail, the Hospital for Sick Children (Canada), Human Rights Watch, and Catalyst Canada.
Published work
“Flying people, not planes: The CEO of Bombardier on building a world-class culture,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2011
“Insights from business leaders on creating lasting change” (PDF–4.77 MB), Voices of Transformation 4, 2010
“Freeing up cash from operations,” McKinsey Quarterly, December 2008
“Influence abroad requires effectiveness at home,” Canadian Government Executive, July 2008
“Elevating our vision of social responsibility” (PDF–970 KB), Corporate Social Responsibility Review, Conference Board of Canada, October 2007
Past experience
| Procter & Gamble |
Marketing brand manager |
| British Alpine Ski Team |
Professional ski racer, then manager/coach |
Education
| University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School |
MBA, MA in international studies |
| University of Cambridge |
BA in Law, LLM |