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Humayun Tai

Senior PartnerNew York

Leads our Electric Power & Natural Gas Practice globally, serving major utility and energy technology clients across a variety of strategic, organizational, and operational issues

In addition to his client work, Humayun is the global co-leader of McKinsey’s Global Energy & Materials and Electric Power & Natural Gas practices. He is also a leader in the clean tech area of our Sustainability Practice.

Humayun has coauthored a number of publications, including the ‘McKinsey on Smart Grid’ publication as well as McKinsey's recently completed work on energy efficiency, and clean technologies. He has also authored external articles and reports, including in energy and power and with the American Physical Society.

Humayun is a regular panelist and participant in key industry events, including Gridweek, Harvard Electricity Policy Group, GridCom, and senior industry roundtables.

Examples of his recent client work include the following:

  • serving a large US multi-utility company on transforming its performance across shared services, generation, distribution, and customer operations
  • developing an integrated demand management, energy efficiency, and renewables strategy for one of the largest utilities globally, addressing opportunity assessment and creating a regulatory approach for each state
  • supporting a comprehensive transformation of T&D operations and customer experience for one of the largest global utilities
  • designing a market entry strategy for a several new technology products—including grid balancing, demand management, and distribution automation—for a large Asian technology conglomerate
  • creating an Asian and North American go-to-market strategy for new suite of distributed generation and grid integration technologies for a large European technology company

Prior to joining McKinsey, Humayun worked for Deloitte Emerging Markets and was an energy consultant at the World Bank.

Published work

How grid operators can integrate the coming wave of renewable energy,” McKinsey & Company, February 2024

Beyond the hype: New opportunities for gen AI in energy and materials,” McKinsey & Company, February 2024

An affordable, reliable, competitive path to net zero, McKinsey & Company, November 2023

A sector progress tracker for the net-zero transition,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023

Five key action areas to put Europe’s energy transition on a more orderly path,” McKinsey & Company, August 2023

Build together: Rethinking solar project delivery,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

Yes, nuclear can help answer the climate and energy security challenge,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023

The circular cement value chain: Sustainable and profitable,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023

How oil and gas companies can be successful in renewable power,” McKinsey & Company, February 2023

Net zero: Next moves for CEOs,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

Toward a more orderly US energy transition: Six key action areas,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

The energy transition: A region-by-region agenda for near-term action,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

Net-zero heat: Long-duration energy storage to accelerate energy system decarbonization, McKinsey & Company, November 2022

A devilish duality: How CEOs can square resilience with net-zero promises,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2022

Renewable-energy development in a net-zero world: Land, permits, and grids,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Renewable-energy development in a net-zero world,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Building resilient supply chains for the European energy transition,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

How utilities can use advanced analytics to elevate customer experience,"rdquo; McKinsey & Company, August 2022

How climate action can help deliver EU energy security,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

Converging energy markets in pursuit of a net-zero world,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022

How to increase grid resilience through targeted investments,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021

Net-zero power: Long-duration energy storage for a renewable grid,” McKinsey & Company, November 2021

Solving the net-zero equation: Nine requirements for a more orderly transition,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Managing water and climate risk with renewable energy,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Net zero by 2035: A pathway to rapidly decarbonize the US power system,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Modernizing the investment approach for electric grids,” McKinsey & Company, November 2020

Transforming interactive voice response systems in utilities,” McKinsey & Company, September 2020

A 2040 vision for the US power industry: Evaluating two decarbonization scenarios,” McKinsey & Company, February 2020

The future of natural gas in North America,” McKinsey & Company, January 2020

The global relevance of New York State’s clean-power targets,” McKinsey & Company, July 2019

Building an offshore wind industry along the US East Coast: The role of state collaboration,” McKinsey & Company, June 2019

Scaling the US East Coast offshore wind industry to 20 gigawatts and beyond,” McKinsey & Company, April 2019

Solving the rate puzzle: The future of electricity rate design,” McKinsey & Company, March 2019

Less carbon means more flexibility: Recognizing the rise of new resources in the electricity mix,” McKinsey & Company, October 2018

Are US gas utilities nearing the end of their golden age?,” McKinsey & Company, September 2018

Harnessing the power of advanced analytics in transmission and distribution asset management,” McKinsey & Company, April 2018

Sticker shock: Why utilities now must rethink customer affordability,” McKinsey & Company, February 2018

Education

Johns Hopkins University
MA, international relations and economics