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Alistair Carmichael

Expert Associate PartnerSydney

Leader of our People & Organizational Performance Practice in Australia and New Zealand; regional leader for the McKinsey Health Institute

Alistair is passionate about helping individuals and organizations reach full potential and has devoted his career to this goal. Based in Sydney, Alistair is an expert associate partner in the People & Organizational Performance Practice. Working across sectors and geographies, Alistair specializes in unlocking potential and performance through operating model transformation, culture, organization design, and change leadership.

Alistair also specializes in workplace mental health and is a regional leader of the McKinsey Health Institute, a not-for-profit entity within the firm that aspires to catalyze action to add a collective 45 billion years of higher-quality life for all people around the world. He is a thought leader on this topic and regularly contributes to the conversation through publishing, conference presentations, and media engagement.

Some examples of his recent work include the following:

  • leading holistic operating model transformations for national and regional financial institutions
  • conducting operating model review and optimization efforts for public-sector clients
  • designing cultural improvement roadmaps for public- and private-sector organizations, including diagnostics, intervention design, and delivery
  • supporting public and private sector organizations in transforming mental health outcomes in the workplace, including through making company operating models a force for good
  • helping organizations become more mentally healthy via operating model and cultural improvement

Beyond his work at McKinsey, Alistair is a dedicated volunteer at Lifeline, Australia’s suicide prevention and crisis hotline. Prior to joining McKinsey, Alistair practiced employment and industrial relations law at law firms in London and Sydney.

Published work

Supporting resilience and preventing burnout in nonprofits,” McKinsey & Company, April 2023

Building a mentally resilient workforce,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Employee mental health and burnout in Asia: A time to act,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Addressing employee burnout: How to get it right,” Bloomberg, June 2022

Eight talent imperatives for Asian insurers,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021

Building from purpose: Unlocking the power of Australia’s not-for-profit sector,” McKinsey & Company, November 2021

Out of the shadows: Sustainably improving workplace mental health,” McKinsey & Company, April 2021

Past Experience

Norton Rose Fulbright
Associate

Lewis Silkin
Foreign qualified associate

Herbert Smith Freehills
Attorney

Education

University of Sydney
LLB

University of New England
BPsych

University of Wollongong
BMedSc