Steffen leads McKinsey’s work in capital productivity globally and is a core member of our Operations Practice. He works across multiple regions, including North and South America, Asia, and Europe.
Steffen supports clients with front-end planning, design, contracting, procurement, and construction of small to large capital projects across industries such as mining, oil and gas, basic materials, and infrastructure. He also helps clients define new cost-savings opportunities by taking an integrated perspective across the extended supply chain.
An expert in capability building, Steffen helps executives design comprehensive talent strategies, transforming their organizations through a talent-led approach to best-in-class practices in operations while delivering substantial financial improvement. He has developed and market tested new learning formats and concepts to ensure that new capabilities are retained and sustained.
Before joining McKinsey, Steffen was a senior manager at DaimlerChrysler, where his role included overseeing part of the company’s global purchasing organization.
Published work
“Capital investment is about to surge: Are your operations ready?,” McKinsey & Company, April 2022
“Navigating the semiconductor chip shortage: A control-tower case study,” McKinsey & Company, March 2022
“Here comes the 21st century’s first big investment wave. Is your capital strategy ready?,” McKinsey & Company, March 2022
“Managing project portfolios to unlock trapped capital,” McKinsey & Company, August 2021
“Modular construction: From projects to products,” McKinsey & Company, June 2019
“Capital projects: Creating digital-first organizations,” McKinsey & Company, August 2018
“Artificial intelligence: Construction technology’s next frontier,” McKinsey & Company, April 2018
“Navigating the digital future: The disruption of capital projects,” McKinsey & Company, October 2017
“The department of transportation of the future,” McKinsey & Company, October 2017
“Taming scope creep to keep public-sector projects on track,” McKinsey & Company, July 2017
“Sharper estimating tools for getting projects done on time and on budget,” McKinsey & Company, June 2017
“Let’s make a (better) deal: From cost to value in engineering services,” McKinsey & Company, May 2017
“Building superior capabilities for strategic sourcing,” McKinsey Quarterly, May 2013
Past experience
DaimlerChrysler
Manager
Education
University of Applied Sciences, Hof
MBA
Wilfrid Laurier University
BA, international studies