Patrick Simon

Senior PartnerBerlin

Patrick Simon

Senior PartnerBerlin

Advises companies across industries on a broad array of topics with a focus on organizational transformation and harmonizing a company’s operating model with its strategy and the market’s requirements

Patrick serves clients on a broad array of topics ranging from strategy to organizational design and transformation across industries. Patrick is also the global leader of our organization design work and has helped numerous companies through multiyear organizational transformations, often focused on bringing operating models back in line with the realities of the markets, strategic shifts, or other success factors.

Examples of Patrick’s recent client projects include the following:

designing and delivering an end-to-end organizational-transformation program spanning all functions—including marketing, sales, and operations—for a global packaged goods company, to increase the alignment between a new strategic direction and the underlying operating model
developing a new operating model to reduce time to market by 30 percent for an apparel and fashion company by creating a leaner, nimbler, and digitally-enabled organization
Crisis or opportunity? How grocers can win the talent war, McKinsey & Company, May 2022
enabling an organization to grow globally by migrating from a regional operating model toward a global one, with several billion dollars in sales uplift since implementation
creating a digital operating model for an established packaged goods company, including a digitally-enhanced value chain, an adjusted channel mix with a much higher share of online sales and 20 percent private-label e-commerce sales, and digital capability building
designing a leaner, more cost-efficient operating model, with a five-percentage-point impact on the bottom line, by refocusing an organization and its resources on its core mission
developing a ten year strategy for a global consumer company including a clear roadmap for implementation
designing a growth strategy for a global food player in a mature market by revamping the innovation and go-to-market process

Published work

“How to run effective meetings that drive results,” World Economic Forum, September 2023

“10 Shifts Making Waves Across Industries,” Rotman Management Magzine, September 2023

“All change: The new era of perpetual organizational upheaval,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

“Getting a read on the state of organizations,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations, McKinsey & Company, April 2023

“Crisis or opportunity? How grocers can win the talent war,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

“If we’re all so busy, why isn’t anything getting done?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022

“Kleine Marken, große Chancen”, Akzente 2'21, S. 56/61, Dezember 2021

“Klotzen statt Kleckern”, Akzente 2'21, S. 42-49, Dezember 2021

“Operating model transformations: Not all elements are created equal,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2021

“Tech-enabled SG&A transformation,” McKinsey & Company, September 2021

“Weiter so war gestern: Das Zukunftsmodell der Konsumgüterindustrie,” Akzente 1'21, S. 28-37, Juni 2021

“Schneller und agiler - das Operating Model von morgen,” Akzente 1'21, S. 46-53, Juni 2021

“Wege in die Nachhaltigkeit,” Akzente 1'21, S. 54-59, Juni 2021

“Crafting a fit-for-future retail operating model,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021

“Organizational effectiveness for sustained performance and health,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021

“A new model for the consumer-goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020

“Fitter, flatter, faster: How unstructuring your organization can unlock massive value,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2020

“Closing the skills gap in retail with people analytics,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

“What got us here won’t get us there: A new model for the consumer goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

“Digital transformations – how to get them right,” Caijing magazine, July 2020

“Getting your organization ready for a digital transformation,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2020

“Completing a transformation in the consumer-goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, March 2020

“The importance of tailoring your operating model for the market – part two,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2020

“The importance of tailoring your operating model for the market – part one,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2020

“Is the consumer-goods industry ready for the new world of work?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2020

Let’s meet offline – Personalisierung in der realen Welt, Handelsjournal, December 2019

“Erfolg made in Germany - Absatzwirtschaft,” McKinsey & Company, December 2019

“For a successful transformation, start by sprinting,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2019

“Six governing considerations to modernize marketing,” McKinsey & Company, June 2019

“Wie der Wandel Wirklichkeit wird,” Akzente 3'19, S. 58-63, McKinsey & Company, March 2019

“The age of speed: How to raise your organization’s metabolism,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2019

“Digital (R)evolution - A Question of Organization,” Akzente 2’18, S. 24–31, McKinsey & Company, October 2018

“Measuring the fashion world,” McKinsey & Company, October 2018

“Faster fashion: How to shorten the apparel calendar,” McKinsey & Company, May 2018

“Reif für ein Upgrade,” Akzente 3’18, S. 38–43, McKinsey & Company, March 2018

“Mittelstand: David gegen Goliat,” Akzente 3'17, S. 8-17, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

“Mode nach M@ß,” Akzente 3’17, S. 44-49, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

“Sprinting toward a new business model,” Akzente 3'17, S. 24-29, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

“Auf die Plätze, fertig… Fashion!,” Akzente 2’17, S. 24–29, McKinsey & Company, February 2017

“Global agieren, lokal aktivieren,” Akzente 1’15, S. 28–33, McKinsey & Company, January 2015

“Erfolgsmodelle für eine geteilte Wel t,” Akzente 3’14, S. 34–39, McKinsey & Company, January 2015

Education

Harvard Business School
MBA, general management

University of Kassel
PhD, management science

University of Karlsruhe
MSc, economics, business engineering

University of Massachusetts
MSc, operations research