About James
Dr. James Manyika is a Director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the Firm’s business and economics research arm. He is also a Director (Senior Partner) at McKinsey & Company, where he is one of the leaders of McKinsey’s Global High Tech, Media and Telecom Practice. Based in Silicon Valley for the past 18 years, James has worked with many of the world’s leading software, systems, Internet, media, and communications companies on a variety of issues, including strategy, innovation, and business transformation. He also serves on the McKinsey’s global committee that reviews and elects directors (senior partners) of the Firm.
James has led research on business strategy issues as well as topics related to the global economy, including innovation and competitiveness, productivity and jobs, and technology and its impact on business and the economy. Recent topics have included the economic impact of the Internet in developed and developing countries, big data, social media, US growth and renewal, and the future of manufacturing. Much of this work has appeared in journals, books, and the op-ed pages of newspapers and business publications around the world. James has also spoken at and participated in various global technology, business, and policy forums. He has published a book on distributed networks and decision theory as well as numerous academic and business papers and reports.
In January 2013, James was one of 9 individuals appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Global Development Council. In 2011, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on a 15-member national Innovation Advisory Board. James also serves on the boards of the Aspen Institute, the World Affairs Council, the Oxford Internet Institute, UC Berkeley’s School of Information (iSchool), Harvard’s Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research, and the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo. James is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Prior to McKinsey, James was on the Engineering Faculty at Oxford University and a Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford University, a Visiting Scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a Faculty Exchange Fellow at MIT. A Rhodes Scholar, James has served on the California Rhodes selection committee, and he is involved with several innovation, philanthropy, arts organizations, and forums. Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, James lives in San Francisco.
Video
“Manufacturing the future: James Manyika on the next era of global growth and innovation,” Techonomy.com, November 2012
Selected published work
“Manufacturing the future: The next era of global growth and innovation,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2012
“The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies,” McKinsey Global Institute, July 2012
“Urban world: Cities and the rise of the consuming class,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2012
“The world at work: Jobs, pay, and skills for 3.5 billion people,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2012
“Trading myths: Addressing misconceptions about trade, jobs, and competitiveness,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2012
“Urban America: US cities in the global economy,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2012
“Help wanted: The future of work in advanced economies,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2012
“Debt and deleveraging: Uneven progress on the path to growth,” McKinsey Global Institute, January 2012
“The emerging equity gap: Growth and stability in the new investor landscape,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2011
“A great transformer,” The Financial Times Connected Business, November 2011
“An economy that works: Job creation and America's future,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2011
“Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity,” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2011
“Productivity and growth: The enduring connection,” Wall Street Journal, February 16, 2011
“Growth and renewal in the United States: Retooling America's economic engine,” McKinsey Global Institute, February 2011
Experience
| Oxford University |
Engineering faculty |
| Balliol College, Oxford University |
Research fellow |
| NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
Visiting scientist |
| MIT |
Faculty exchange fellow |
Education
| Oxford University |
DPhil, MSc and MA degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics and computer science |
| University of Zimbabwe |
BSc in electrical engineering (first class) |