Nikola has been dedicated to the consumer space since joining McKinsey in 2016. He works with a variety of clients—including retailers, apparel players, consumer packaged goods firms, and telecoms companies—to transform their operations and deliver on their customer and employee experience aspirations. Within the retail sector, Nikola helps retailers transform their store and omnichannel operations, implement growth and productivity strategies, and enhance the performance and experience of frontline employees.
Examples of Nikola’s recent client work include:
- leading the transformation of store operations for a major multiformat retailer, focusing on grocery and pharmacy operations, with expertise in service counter models, store scheduling, and store technology
- leading the transformation office for a national telecommunications player undergoing a customer service operations transformation
- helping a national grocery client build a media business to deliver an integrated value proposition for vendor partners and create a more engaging customer experience online and in-store
- driving an operations transformation for a multi-banner North American apparel retailer, including managing the transformation of store operations with an emphasis on improving store associate capabilities and experiences, designing a new model for e-commerce fulfilment, and redesigning the technology organization’s operating model
- designing and implementing a transformed store service model for a luxury department store retailer
- developing a geographic expansion strategy for a baked goods manufacturer looking to expand into new geographies, including leading customer R&D for the product roadmap and creating a channel sales strategy
- deploying a design-to-value capability for a confectionery company to improve consumer value perception in key categories
- leading the development of a data and analytics function for a North American grocer to improve demand forecasting and replenishment timing
Before joining McKinsey, Nikola worked as a project engineer at Hatch Ltd., where he developed renewable energy projects. He then worked at Hatch Consulting Ltd. as a consulting analyst, advising clients on acquisitions in the mining and metals sector, with a specialization in assessing iron ore and coal assets for the steel industry.
In addition to his client work, Nikola leads recruiting efforts for McKinsey’s Toronto office, helping to shape the future of McKinsey Canada.