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Wouter Aghina

PartnerAmsterdam

Delivers large-scale performance and health transformations, improving performance, changing culture, boosting organizational agility, improving organizational design, and building leadership and frontline capabilities

Wouter has led several large-scale transformation programs for clients, helping them achieve sustained improvement in both performance and organizational agility. These programs focused on strengthening mind-sets and capabilities from the leadership team to the front line while delivering improved performance. He believes strongly in integrating hard measures to boost operational and financial performance with soft skills, such as self-awareness and effective teamwork.

Wouter is a leader of McKinsey’s agile organization work. He has deep experience in serving global high-tech companies and technology functions in other industries as well as cross-industry experience in agile operating-model design and transformation.

Examples of his recent client engagements include the following:

  • executing a multiyear transformation, including introducing agile ways of working and organization in product development, at a global semiconductor equipment manufacturer
  • leading a multiyear transformation to improve performance rapidly and lay the foundations for a future-proof agile and digital operating model for a world leader in leasing
  • creating a new B2B go-to-market operating model, moving from a product to a customer-centric approach, and introducing agile ways of working for a world leader in imaging
  • delivering immediate and sustained continuous improvement for a global leader in the logistics industry through a global quality- and productivity-improvement program for 100 sites in 30 countries
  • leading far-reaching R&D-transformation programs, including redesigning R&D processes and organization, strengthening talent management and leadership, and integrating lean principles, at two global high-tech companies
  • designing an agile operating model to improve customer experience and increase productivity for a leading retail bank in the Netherlands
  • delivering a large leadership-capability program, including building skills while realizing strategic priorities and providing one-on-one implementation support and coaching for 15 top executives, for a global equipment company

Wouter is a life coach, with certification from the MMS Worldwide Institute, and has coached more than 20 senior executives and board members on making the personal changes needed to lead their companies’ transformations. He writes frequently on organizational topics and is a leader of McKinsey's Organizational Agility Forum.

Published work

The impact of agility: How to shape your organization to compete,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021

Rethinking the boundaries of your organizational (eco)system,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2019

Winning practices for agile in advanced industry,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2019

How to select and develop individuals for successful agile teams: A practical guide,” McKinsey & Company, December 2018

What heavy industry can teach you about agility,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2018

10 common myths about enterprise agility,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, July 2018

The path to agility: a staged approach,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2018

The five trademarks of agile organizations,” McKinsey & Company, January 2018

The keys to organizational agility,” McKinsey & Company, December 2015

Agility: It rhymes with stability,” McKinsey Quarterly, December 2015

Past experience

Renault
Research engineer

Education

INSEAD
MBA

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
MS, business adminstration

Delft University of Technology
MS, mechanical engineering