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Michael Bucy

Senior PartnerCarolinas

Helps private and public sector organizations transform their core operations and launch new businesses

Michael is a cofounder and the global leader of RTS by McKinsey, which focuses on rapid transformation. He has led 15 transformations to date, driving more than $10 billion in bottom-line impact in telecom, manufacturing, technology, and consumer organizations.

He recently spent approximately two years as lead operating partner at SoftBank in both Tokyo and the United States, helping oversee the organization’s assets. He also served as a chief transformation officer for the turnaround of a prominent commercial real-estate company and drove the turnaround of a $9 billion mobile logistics provider, including securing £300 million in additional funding and $200 million in trade credit to finance the turnaround.

Michael’s recent McKinsey client experience includes the following:

  • acting as chief transformation officer for a North American telecom provider, delivering $5.8 billion in net impact versus the market target of $2 billion
  • spearheading the transformation of a leading mining company, delivering $4.3 billion in recurring impact in 22 months versus the management target of $1.5 billion
  • delivering $300 million in recurring impact in 18 months for a state-owned public utility versus the management target of $100 million in 36 months
  • leading the rapid turnaround for a large mining company in Western Australia to save 4,000 jobs, which delivered $250 million in 18 months versus the management target of $70 million
  • acting as chief turnaround officer for a manufacturing-and-packaging business, delivering a $150 million improvement for a $1 billion business
  • acting as chief transformation officer coach for over ten additional transformations across industries in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia

Before joining McKinsey, Michael was an executive at two start-up businesses: a venture-backed medical-device company and a corporate-backed airline. He also founded the largest student-run philanthropy in the state of North Carolina, the UNC Dance Marathon benefiting the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

He was an All-ACC soccer player at UNC and a Morehead Scholar. He is a CFA charter holder and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Published work

The science behind transformations: Sustaining value after implementation,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, November 2022

The science behind transformations: Maximizing value during implementation,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2022

The science behind transformations: Protecting value from day one,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2022

Losing from day one: Why even successful transformations fall short,” McKinsey & Company, December 2021

Keeping transformations on target,” McKinsey & Company, March 2017

Sustaining the momentum of a transformation,” McKinsey & Company, November 2016

Transformation with a capital T,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2016

The ‘how’ of transformation,” McKinsey & Company, May 2016

Education

University of Virginia School of Law
JD

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
BA, economics