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Richard Lee

Senior PartnerSeoul

Richard Lee

Senior PartnerSeoul

Works with leading technology, media, telecommunications, and private-equity clients to enable digital transformations that capture value

Richard brings a global perspective, having worked in McKinsey’s Boston and Silicon Valley offices before heading east to lead the firm’s High Tech, Media, and Telecom (TMT) and Private Equity Practices in Seoul.  He works across the region, including Korea, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.

In TMT, Richard works extensively with consumer-electronics and telecommunications clients on their digital transformations, from strategy through to the development of new organizations and capabilities. His areas of focus include corporate strategy, M&A, and marketing and sales. He also leads McKinsey’s knowledge development on the future trends of smart devices and their impact across the value chain.

As leader of the Private Equity/Principal Investing Practice in Korea, he has led several of the largest deals in the country. He works on a range of projects from due diligences to integration and performance management of portfolio companies.

Richard is a frequent speaker at high-tech and telecom industry conferences, such as the Future of Tech M&A conference for the International Bar Association in 2015. He also advises the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning in Korea on the country’s priorities in technology.

Published work

Korea’s next S-curve: A new economic growth model for 2040,” McKinsey & Company, December 2023

The case for committing to greener telecom networks,” McKinsey & Company, February 2020

The continued rise of South Korean private equity,” McKinsey & Company, July 2018

Education

Harvard Business School
MBA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BS, chemical engineering and economics