Li-Kai Chen

Senior Partner and Managing Partner, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Leads our office in Malaysia and advises companies and public sector institutions on major organizational and performance transformation programs

About Li-Kai

Li-Kai is the managing partner of McKinsey’s Malaysia office. He advises private and public sector clients on large-scale organizational and performance transformation programs. He works with executives, leaders, and boards on modernizing organizations and building successful, sustainable institutions in the face of industry or economic discontinuity.

Previously, Li-Kai led McKinsey’s education work globally. In this role, he advised school systems, vocational, and higher-education institutions on improving student learning outcomes, day-to-day experiences, and employment prospects. He has experience in the education sector in more than 30 countries across Asia, North America, the Middle East, Oceania, and Europe.

Recent examples of Li-Kai’s client work include the following:

designing and helping implement large-scale programs to drive performance transformation, accelerated digitization, and improved productivity across a leading Asian conglomerate
working with sovereign-wealth funds and government investment companies to maximize value and transform performance across their portfolio companies
advising an Asian government on the reform and transformation of the school and higher education systems toward improving student and system outcomes
developing a national five-year economic strategy, including blueprint and detailed implementation plans
helping establish new forms of public–private partnerships to increase employability among students and graduates
supporting a global foundation on a major portfolio-management effort

He has served clients in multiple industries—including financial services, telecommunications, retail, private equity, agriculture, and education—on issues such as strategy, corporate finance, corporate governance, and talent development.

Li-Kai serves on the board of trustees of Teach for Malaysia—a partner of the Teach For All global network. Before joining McKinsey, he worked in the investment banking sector with Barclays Capital and as a quantity surveyor with Balfour Beatty.