Yakov is a leader in McKinsey's Organization Practice in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russia. He also coleads the firm's culture and change work globally. Yakov is one of the foremost experts on organizational- and cultural-change-management matters related to digital, advanced-analytics, and broader innovation transformations and their critical components, including agile organization development, cultural change, new-business-model development, and talent management.
While serving leading public- and private-sector organizations, Yakov has facilitated many multiyear programs focused on holistic performance transformations and capability building in a wide range of industries, from basic materials and transportation to e-hauling services.
Yakov is an active participant in numerous business events and forums, where he speaks on organizational topics. He is the author of several articles on organizational development, advanced-analytics-driven transformation, and culture change as well as on the unique challenges facing the private and public sectors in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russia.
Prior to joining McKinsey, Yakov worked as a senior researcher and professor at higher-education institutions in Russia and a columnist for various business media. He holds a PhD and is a full professor.
Published work
“Breaking away” [in Russian], Harvard Business Review, October 2018
“The magic of data” [in Russian], Harvard Business Review, September 27, 2018
“Innovations in Russia: A sustainable source of growth” [in Russian], McKinsey & Company, July 2018
“New Russian tech leaders,” Vedomosti, January 2018
“Unlocking the future: The keys to making cities great,” McKinsey & Company, June 2015
“Quick fixes: How one European city got moving (literally),” McKinsey & Company, November 2014
Education
London Business School
MBA
Lomonosov Moscow State University
MS, international economics