David Chinn is a senior partner in McKinsey’s London office. He leads our services to defence ministries and armed forces globally, as well as leading our work in aerospace and defence in the UK. His work focuses on the transformation of defence forces and their relationships with their supply base.
David works with ministries of defence and armed forces around the world to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. His projects have included multi-year transformations in aerospace and defence manufacturing, the application of lean management techniques to maintenance in land, air and naval equipment and the optimisation of organisation design and personnel management. He has supported a number of substantial transformations related to indirect and direct purchasing and supply-chain design and manufacturing.
David also aids McKinsey’s pro bono efforts, applying his experience in military logistics to support disaster-recovery teams. He led our aid efforts following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, working with the Haitian government and leading NGOs and others in the international community to manage disaster recovery and reconstruction operations.
Published work
“How the British Field Army headquarters shifted to agile ways of working,” McKinsey & Company, November 2020
“Navigating the post-COVID-19 era: A strategic framework for European recovery,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020
“Well-being in Europe: Addressing the high cost of COVID-19 on life satisfaction,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020
“Restoring public transit amid COVID-19: What European cities can learn from one another,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020
“Lessons from the military for COVID-time leadership,” McKinsey & Company, May 2020
“The future is now: Closing the skills gap in Europe’s public sector,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Safeguarding Europe’s livelihoods: Mitigating the employment impact of COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Europe needs to prepare now to get back to work—safely,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Building agility in the British Army’s headquarters,” McKinsey & Company, October 2019
“Asking the right questions to define government’s role in cybersecurity,” McKinsey & Company, September 2018
“International defense sales: Opportunities, but not for all,” McKinsey & Company, March 2015
“Risk and responsibility in a hyperconnected world: Implications for enterprises,” McKinsey & Company, January 2014
“Enlisting productivity to reinforce European defense,” McKinsey & Company, August 2013
“Preserving combat power when defense budgets are falling,” McKinsey & Company, April 2013
“Supply chain transformation under fire,” McKinsey on Government, Spring 2010 (PDF–280 KB)
“An expert view on defense procurement,” McKinsey on Government, Spring 2010 (PDF–272 KB)
“Supply chain lessons from Haiti,” Supply Chain Management Review, September/October 2010
Past experience
Credit Suisse
Head of products; head of portal and marketing
1999-2001
National Institute for Testing and Selection, Israel
Researcher
1992-1993
Education
INSEAD
MBA, business administration
Carnegie Mellon University
MSc, cognitive psychology
Cambridge University
BA, natural sciences