Rodney is the global leader of McKinsey Digital, serving clients across a range of industries on growth strategy, performance improvement, and value creation by harnessing the power of data and analytics, digital culture and capabilities, and modernized core technology. McKinsey Digital now represents more than one-third of the firm’s client work, with more than 5,000 colleagues across 100 offices specialized in digital and analytics.
Previously, he was the managing partner for McKinsey’s Northeast offices, which include the firm’s Boston, New York, and Stamford locations. Prior to that, he led McKinsey’s Healthcare Systems & Services Practice, working with clients in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and healthcare services. He also led the firm’s support for private-equity clients and other companies in consumer-facing industries.
Rodney is a recognized thought leader, writing articles that appear in leading business publications, including Harvard Business Review and Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. He is a coauthor of the book Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy (Wharton Digital Press, 2018), is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, and represents McKinsey at forums such as the National Association of Corporate Directors, CEO Academy, and other roundtables. In addition, Rodney serves on the board of BritishAmerican Business.
Published work and videos
“How boards can help digital transformations,” McKinsey & Company, June 2021
“Creating strong digital B2B channels at industrial companies,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021
“Shifts in consumer behaviors,” video, McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“Evolution in B2B selling,” video, McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“What this means for the post-pandemic enterprise,” video, McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“What this means for the role of the CIO,” video, McKinsey & Company, September 2020
“The context for digital transformation,” video, McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Components of digital transformation,” video, McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Questions to guide digital transformation,” video, McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“Safety and service in the packaging industry: An interview with the CEO of Sealed Air,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020
“The digital-led recovery from COVID-19: Five questions for CEOs,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020
“Go Long: Why Long-Term Thinking Is Your Best Short-Term Strategy,” Wharton Digital Press, 2018
“How leading CEOs manage their middle tenures,” McKinsey & Company, November 2018
“Leading for the long term,” McKinsey & Company, June 2018
“How successful CEOs manage their middle act,” Harvard Business Review, May-June 2018
Dennis Carey, Brian Dumaine, Michael Useem, and Rodney Zemmel, “Why CEOs should push back against short-termism,” Harvard Business Review, May 31, 2018
“Changing the nature of board engagement,” McKinsey Quarterly, April 2015
“How the best board directors stay involved,” Harvard Business Review, February 23, 2015
“The road to positive R&D returns,” McKinsey & Company, February 2010
“Invention reinvented: McKinsey perspectives on pharmaceutical R&D,” McKinsey perspectives on pharmaceutical R&D, 2010
“Pharmaceutical R&D: the road to positive returns,” Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, August 1, 2009
Education
Trinity College, University of Cambridge
PhD, molecular biology
BA; MA, natural sciences
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