Michael co-leads McKinsey’s Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice globally. He also serves on the McKinsey Global Institute council – which advises on MGI’s research on global economic, business, and technology trends – as well as the committee that develops and evaluates our partners around the world.
Michael partners with bold and determined executives to set strategy, transform organizations, and deliver sustainable value. He has served companies around the world at the board and executive-committee levels across a diverse set of industries, as well as institutions in the public and social sectors, and his work is often shaped by insights and analogies from other contexts. Michael’s deepest sector expertise is in energy, natural resources, and industrials, where he works with several of the leading global organizations across their agenda.
Passionate about helping talented executives to succeed as individuals – particularly as they take on new roles – Michael co-leads McKinsey’s research on CEO excellence, as well as MGI’s research on companies in the 21st century. His perspectives have been published and cited in the McKinsey Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, and Financial Times, among other leading publications.
Michael is a director of BritishAmerican Business, a governor of the Royal College of Art and the British Film Institute, and a former trustee of the Marshall Scholarships and the World Schools Debating Championships. In 2016, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Based in London, Michael previously worked in McKinsey’s San Francisco and Mumbai offices. He studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics at the University of Oxford and holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Published work
“Can your company remain global and if so, how?,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2024
“How shockproof is your supply chain, really?,” McKinsey & Company, April 2024
“Insights driving impact: Five themes to get right in 2024,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2024
“A different high-growth story: The unique challenges of climate tech,” McKinsey Quarterly, January 2024
Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade, McKinsey Global Institute, January 2024
“A new paradigm for our connected world?,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023
“Courageous growth: Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance,” McKinsey & Company, October 2023
“Why the path of global wealth and growth matters for strategy,” McKinsey & Company, August 2023
“Leading through uncertainty in the energy and materials sectors,” McKinsey & Company, July 2023
The future of wealth and growth hangs in the balance, McKinsey Global Institute, May 2023
“Deciphering the economy’s mixed signals,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023
“How ambidextrous leaders manage through volatile times,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“Starting up as a new CFO,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“2023, a testing year: Will the macro-scenario range widen or narrow?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“Innovation: Your solution for weathering uncertainty,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023
“Global balance sheet 2022: Enter volatility,” McKinsey Global Institute, December 2022
“Designing out of difficult times,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022
“Global flows: The ties that bind in an interconnected world,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2022
“Resilient performance management in volatile times,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2022
“Four front-foot strategies to help create value in the net-zero transition,” McKinsey & Company, September 2022
“Strategic courage in an age of volatility,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022
“Choosing to grow: The leader’s blueprint,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022
“Reflections on 20 years of McKinsey on Finance—and three challenges ahead,” McKinsey Quarterly, June 2022
“Playing offense to create value in the net-zero transition,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
"Measuring business: Accounting for companies' value creation and societal impact," VoxEU, March 2022
"The rise and rise of the global balance sheet: How productively are we using our wealth?," McKinsey Global Institute, November 2021
“The corporation in the 21st century,” McKinsey & Company, November 2021
“Lessons on resilience for small and midsize businesses,” Harvard Business Review, June 2021
“A new look at how corporations impact the economy and households,” McKinsey Global Institute, June 2021
“The necessity of doing well by doing good,” The Milken Institute Review, April 2021
“Will productivity and growth return after the COVID-19 crisis?,” McKinsey Global Institute, March 2021
“Investors remind business leaders: Governance matters,” McKinsey & Company, October 2020
“Memo to the CFO: A new approach to 2021 budgeting starts now,” McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“Risk, resilience, and rebalancing in global value chains,” McKinsey Global Institute, August 2020
“How new CEOs can manage for the future,” McKinsey & Company, March 2020
“The secret to unlocking hidden value in the balance sheet,” McKinsey & Company, March 2020
“Short-term pain for long-term gain: The new CEO’s dilemma,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2019
“What every CEO needs to know about ‘superstar’ companies,” McKinsey Global Institute, April 2019
“What’s driving superstar companies, industries, and cities,” Harvard Business Review, October 2018
“‘Superstars’: The dynamics of firms, sectors, and cities leading the global economy,” McKinsey Global Institute, October 2018
“Closing the gender gap: A missed opportunity for new CEOs,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2018
“Transforming the culture of managing working capital,” McKinsey & Company, January 2018
“A deal-making strategy for new CEOs,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2017
“How functional leaders become CEOs,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2017
“What makes a CEO ‘exceptional’?,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2017
“Is your company underperforming? Use the full CEO playbook,” Strategy & Corporate Finance blog, March 2017
“How insider CEOs can gain the outsider’s edge,” Strategy & Corporate Finance blog, November 2016
“CEO transitions: The science of success,” McKinsey Quarterly, August 2016
“Lessons for new CEOs: Go big, go fast, or go home,” Strategy & Corporate Finance blog, June 2016
“How new CEOs can boost their odds of success,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2016
“The cement industry at a turning point: A path toward value creation,” McKinsey & Company, December 2015
“Is there hidden treasure in the mining industry?,” McKinsey & Company, November 2015
“What makes a great chief strategy officer,” Harvard Business Review, May 2015
“Rethinking the role of the strategist,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2014
“What strategists need: A meeting of the minds,” McKinsey Quarterly, September 2014
“Preparing to make big-ticket investment decisions,” McKinsey & Company, July 2014
“Get the strategy you need—now,” Harvard Business Review, November 2013
“Ten techniques for agile corporate resource allocation,” CFO.com, October 2013
“Avoiding the quicksand: Ten techniques for more agile corporate resource allocation,” McKinsey Quarterly, October 2013
“If you snooze, you lose: flexible, strategic finance,” Finance Director Europe, May 2013 (interview)
“Becoming more strategic: Three tips for any executive,” McKinsey Quarterly, June 2012
“Creating more value with corporate strategy: McKinsey Global Survey results,” McKinsey & Company, January 2011
Education
Harvard Business School
MBA (Baker Scholar)
University of Oxford (Balliol College)
MA, philosophy, politics, and economics
