Gary is chairman of North America. He was previously the managing partner for the firm in North America, and before that led McKinsey’s office for the western United States. Gary is also a former global leader of McKinsey’s Private Equity & Principal Investors Practice, which he helped cofound more than a decade ago.
Gary joined McKinsey in Los Angeles in 1987 as a business analyst and came to the firm’s San Francisco office in 1992. Over the course of his career, he has worked for Dole Food Company in Honduras, Bear Stearns’ mergers and acquisitions group in New York, and in McKinsey's Houston, Mexico City, Sydney, and Zurich offices.
He also serves on the boards of the California Academy of Sciences, the Menlo School, and the California Business Roundtable. He is a prior member of the boards of the San Francisco Opera, ReSurge International (formerly Interplast), and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, as well as a prior member of the investment committee for the Woodside School Foundation.
He earned a bachelors degree in English and quantitative economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Mary, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2014 and have four children and three dogs.
Published work
“The first step to fixing US manufacturing,” Harvard Business Review, November 2017
“Making it in America: Revitalizing US manufacturing,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2017
“Here's how to get the U.S. economy to grow 3.5% or more,” Fortune, December 2016
“Digital America: A tale of the haves and have-mores,” McKinsey & Company, December 2015
“A conversation with Jim Coulter,” McKinsey & Company, February 2015
“Private equity: Changing perceptions and new realities,” McKinsey & Company, April 2014
Education
Harvard Business School
MBA
Stanford University
BA (English and quantitative economics)
Activities & interests
The California Academy of Sciences
Board member
Menlo School
Board member
California Business Roundtable
Board member