12
Bob Sternfels
Global Managing Partner
2021 – Present
5 years (current)
Key Decisions & Impact
Expanded implementation, QuantumBlack and AI agents
Legacy
Elected 2021, re-elected 2024
McKinsey & Company
Management Consulting and Strategic AdvisoryFounded 1926- HQ today: New York, NY
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Leadership History
McKinsey: CEO History
12 leaders · 1926 to present
Who is the CEO of McKinsey?
Bob Sternfels is the CEO of McKinsey, in the role since 2021. The first chief executive was James O. McKinsey, from 1926.
- Current CEO
- Bob Sternfels (since 2021)
- First CEO
- James O. McKinsey (1926)
- Leaders documented
- 12
- Founded
- 1926
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Sternfels | Global Managing Partner | 2021 | Present | 5 |
| Kevin Sneader | Global Managing Partner | 2018 | 2021 | 3 |
| Dominic Barton | Global Managing Partner | 2009 | 2018 | 9 |
| Ian Davis | Managing Director | 2003 | 2009 | 6 |
| Rajat Gupta | Managing Director | 1994 | 2003 | 9 |
| Fred Gluck | Managing Director | 1988 | 1994 | 6 |
| Ron Daniel | Managing Director | 1976 | 1988 | 12 |
| Alonzo McDonald | Managing Director | 1973 | 1976 | 3 |
| Lee Walton | Managing Director | 1968 | 1973 | 5 |
| Gil Clee | Managing Director | 1967 | 1968 | 1 |
| Marvin Bower | Managing Director | 1950 | 1967 | 17 |
| James O. McKinsey | Founder | 1926 | 1937 | 11 |
Company Overview
McKinsey & Company is one of the three largest strategy consulting firms in the world, alongside BCG and Bain. Headquartered in New York with offices in more than 130 cities across 65-plus countries, it advises most of the world's largest companies plus governments and nonprofits. It is a private partnership owned by its partners, who elect a Global Managing Partner for three-year terms; Bob Sternfels has held the role since 2021 and was re-elected in 2024. The company is headquartered in New York City, New York. The absolute most prestigious, highly secretive management consulting firm on Earth was founded in Chicago in 1926, quietly shaping the massive corporate strategies of the world's largest Fortune 500 companies.
McKinsey makes money by charging fees for professional services. Clients pay for project teams, usually priced per team per week, and increasingly through multi-year transformation programs and some outcome-linked arrangements. Work spans corporate strategy and M&A, operations and supply chain, marketing and sales, organization and people, risk, sustainability, and technology and AI delivery through QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey. It does not sell products at scale; the economics depend on billable utilization, pricing power and partner leverage.
11
Kevin Sneader
Global Managing Partner
2018 – 2021
3 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Tightened client-acceptance rules after the opioid and South Africa controversies
Legacy
One-term leader; not re-elected in 2021
10
Dominic Barton
Global Managing Partner
2009 – 2018
9 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Led three terms of growth, especially in Asia
Legacy
Expanded heavily in Asia
9
Ian Davis
Managing Director
2003 – 2009
6 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Led the firm after Enron-era scrutiny
Legacy
Stabilized reputation
8
Rajat Gupta
Managing Director
1994 – 2003
9 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Expanded in Asia
Legacy
First managing director born outside the United States
7
Fred Gluck
Managing Director
1988 – 1994
6 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Invested in knowledge management
Legacy
Built firm intellectual capital
6
Ron Daniel
Managing Director
1976 – 1988
12 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Created industry groups
Legacy
Modernized practice areas
5
Alonzo McDonald
Managing Director
1973 – 1976
3 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Formalized practices
Legacy
Strengthened firm structure
4
Lee Walton
Managing Director
1968 – 1973
5 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Expanded internationally
Legacy
Grew the firm in Europe
3
Gil Clee
Managing Director
1967 – 1968
1 year
Key Decisions & Impact
Led brief transition
Legacy
Continued Bower's work
2
Marvin Bower
Managing Director
1950 – 1967
17 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Set the firm's professional code, up-or-out model and focus on top management
Legacy
Built the modern firm
1
James O. McKinsey
Founder
1926 – 1937
11 years
Key Decisions & Impact
Founded the firm
Legacy
Established management accounting
Challenges & Strategic Context
McKinsey's challenges fall into three groups. First, legal and reputational exposure: in December 2024 McKinsey Africa agreed to pay more than $122 million to resolve US bribery charges tied to South African state-owned companies, and McKinsey agreed to pay $650 million to resolve federal criminal and civil probes into its Purdue Pharma opioid work, on top of about $573 million paid to US states in 2021. Second, demand and staffing: after hiring heavily through 2022, the firm cut headcount from about 45,000 at the end of 2023 to roughly 40,000 by 2025-2026 as clients trimmed discretionary consulting budgets. Third, AI pressure on the pyramid: generative AI automates research, analysis and slide work that junior consultants used to bill for, pushing McKinsey to reprice work and move toward implementation and outcome-based fees. Political scrutiny of government contracts, especially in the US and France, adds further risk.
McKinsey CEO and Leadership FAQ
Who was Marvin Bower and why is he considered the father of modern management consulting?
Marvin Bower (1903 to 2003) was a Harvard Law and Harvard Business School graduate who led McKinsey from 1937 to 1967. Bower created the modern management consulting profession, establishing high ethical standards, client confidentiality, professional dress codes, the 'One Firm' partnership, and the hiring of top graduate school talent rather than experienced industry managers.
What was Rajat Gupta's leadership legacy and subsequent controversy at McKinsey?
Rajat Gupta served as McKinsey's Global Managing Partner from 1994 to 2003, becoming the first Indian-born leader of a top American consulting firm. Gupta spearheaded dramatic international expansion across India, China, and Eastern Europe, nearly doubling the firm's revenue. However, in 2012, Gupta was convicted of insider trading relating to his outside board seat at Goldman Sachs, damaging his personal legacy.
What were Dominic Barton's major achievements and challenges as Managing Partner?
Dominic Barton led McKinsey as Global Managing Partner from 2009 to 2018. Barton championed 'long-term capitalism,' expanded the firm into digital technology, and acquired QuantumBlack. However, his tenure coincided with controversial assignments in South Africa (Gupta family state capture) and opioid consulting that later resulted in major public settlements.
What reforms did Kevin Sneader enact during his term as Global Managing Partner?
Kevin Sneader served as Global Managing Partner from 2018 to 2021, leading a sweeping overhaul of McKinsey's risk management, client vetting, and compliance standards following international controversies. Sneader negotiated the landmark $650 million opioid settlement with US states before losing his re-election bid in 2021 to Bob Sternfels.
What strategic priorities define Bob Sternfels' leadership of McKinsey?
Elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2024, Bob Sternfels has prioritized scaling McKinsey's AI and technology capabilities via QuantumBlack, embedding sustainability and net-zero advisory across industries, reforming partner evaluation metrics, and handling the firm through complex geopolitical headwinds in China and the US.
How is McKinsey's Global Managing Partner elected by the partnership?
McKinsey's Global Managing Partner is democratically elected through a confidential, multi-round preferential voting process by all Senior Partners worldwide every three years. No single executive or board determines leadership; the role reflects the collective trust and strategic direction of the global partnership.
Who was Ron Daniel and how did he modernize McKinsey in the 1970s and 1980s?
D. Ronald Daniel served as Managing Partner from 1976 to 1988, steering McKinsey through rising competition from Boston Consulting Group. Daniel modernized the firm by shifting focus from general organizational studies to specialized industry and functional practice areas, founding the McKinsey Global Institute.
How has McKinsey's partner governance adapted to crisis management in recent years?
The firm established a dedicated Shareholders Council (equivalent to a board of directors) chaired by senior partners, supported by an independent Governance and Risk Committee to ensure strict oversight of client acceptance, regulatory compliance, and partner ethical conduct.
Who is the CEO of McKinsey?
McKinsey doesn't have a traditional CEO; they elect a "Global Managing Partner." Bob Sternfels currently holds the role, taking over in 2021. He succeeded Kevin Sneader, who was highly shockingly voted out by the partners after only one term. Sternfels's absolute primary mandate is repairing the firm's massive reputational damage following a decade of brutal scandals, while attempting to reform their highly decentralized, arrogant partnership culture.
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