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Nancy Ryan-Donahue

Partner, Global Head of Human Resources and People OperationsNew Jersey

Leads the global human resources, people operations, and compensation teams at McKinsey, focused on ensuring exceptional global colleague care throughout the full life cycle and managing people risk, compliance, and talent partnerships

Nancy is a partner in our New Jersey office, leading the firm’s global human resources, people operations, and compensation teams.

As a people professional, Nancy has been committed to fostering an environment where people can thrive, organizations can excel, and innovation can flourish. Currently serving as the global head of human resources and people operations at McKinsey, she leads her team to care for colleagues throughout the full lifecycle, define total rewards philosophy, manage people risk and compliance, and provide talent partnership for function leaders. Prioritizing productivity enhancement from hiring to departure, she develops and leverages cross-functional processes, innovative people programs, deep HR expertise, and accessible data. Central to the team’s mission is improving colleague experience as well as efficiency and effectiveness while balancing scale and risk management, achieved through modernizing HR systems, supporting well-being, and utilizing advanced analytics.

With over 30 years at McKinsey, Nancy has held diverse people leadership roles, including regional people leader and people function leader in North America, in which she navigated talent management complexities and developed strategies benefiting both individuals and the organization. As director of talent and operations for McKinsey New Ventures, she fused HR expertise with operational insights, resulting in the development of a powerful talent management model.

Nancy earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and holds a BSE degree in biomedical/electrical engineering from Duke University. These experiences have contributed to her analytical mindset and problem-solving abilities, which she consistently applies to her work in HR.

Published Work

Accessibility: Moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, December 2024

How people professionals progress pressing priorities,” McKinsey & Company, May 2024

Education

Harvard University
MBA, business

Duke University
BS, biomedical and electrical engineering