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Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Meet the leaders of MBB, the consulting giants advising the world's most powerful CEOs
You might not know their names, but they likely have the ear of many powerful CEOs. They're the leaders of what are widely considered the most prestigious strategy consulting firms: McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group, which are collectively referred to as the Big 3, or MBB. MBB firms are often tough places to land a job, and their consultants are some of the most sought-after in the industry. They're the people tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple — as well as government agencies — turn to for advice on things like mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, and AI adoption. MBB consultants have also gone on to lead some of the world's biggest companies. So, who's leading the nearly hundred thousand employees across these influential firms? Here's a look at the leaders at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. McKinsey — Bob Sternfels Bob Sternfels is the global managing partner and chair of the board of directors at McKinsey, which is headquartered in New York City and has offices around the world. The firm employs about 40,000 people. Senior partners first elected Sternfels in 2021 and re-elected him to a second three-year term in 2024. Sternfels grew up in California's Central Valley and has worked at McKinsey since 1994, when he joined the San Francisco office. Prior to becoming global managing partner, he led McKinsey's client capabilities around the world. Before that, he ran the operations practice for the Americas and the private equity and principal investors practice globally. He studied economics and history at Stanford University, where he also played Division I varsity water polo. Sternfels has said on several occasions that his sports background has influenced his leadership style. He got his master's in politics, philosophy, and economics at the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Sternfels recently told Business Insider that humor and vulnerability are some of his key leadership tools. He also said he likes to take small groups on walks when visiting McKinsey offices because it can help folks open up. "A little levity — a joke at your own expense, a lighthearted moment — can go a long way toward building trust, breaking down barriers, and democratizing the team room," he said. When he was elected global managing partner, the firm said Sternfels was often described as organized, proactive, and a systems thinker. Under his leadership, McKinsey has navigated the AI revolution, launching QuantumBlack, the firm's AI consulting arm. During his tenure, McKinsey has also faced scrutiny for earlier advising Purdue Pharma on how to boost sales of OxyContin. Sternfels testified before Congress in 2022, and the firm has paid about $1.6 billion in recent years to settle legal claims. McKinsey has also recently reduced its staff by 10%, BI reported in May. The firm said at the time that the reorganization was in part due to AI driving new levels of efficiency and that it planned to hire thousands of new consultants in 2025. Bain & Company — Christophe De Vusser Christophe De Vusser is the worldwide managing partner, CEO, and chairman of Bain & Company, which is based in Boston and has about 19,000 employees globally. The company was founded in 1973. Before taking on the role in July 2024 and moving to New York, De Vusser was a partner based in Brussels, where he led Bain's private equity practice for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. De Vusser is the first European to hold the role of worldwide managing partner and CEO, the company said in a 2024 press release. De Vusser, who first joined Bain in 2000, began his career at the consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, maker of Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste. De Vusser has master's degrees in civil engineering and multilingual business communication from the University of Ghent, according to Bain. De Vusser's rise to the top role comes as the firm's business is evolving because of tech advances. In December, Bain said tech and "AI-enabled revenue" accounted for 30% of the company's business in 2024. Bain expects that revenue to climb to 50% in the coming years. In a Bain podcast, De Vusser said the firm's clients are grappling with massive amounts of change, including around artificial intelligence. It's a technology, he said, that's still in its early days. "It will continue to mature at immense speeds, we believe, in the coming decades," he said on the podcast. De Vusser has also written about AI. In a recent LinkedIn post, he pointed to Bain research that found fewer than 20% of companies had "meaningfully scaled" generative AI. The reason, he said, is that many organizations tend to view AI "primarily as a technology initiative rather than using it as a catalyst to fundamentally reimagine their business." For organizations to get it right, De Vusser wrote, they need to simplify key processes, use technology so that it fits with strategic goals, and enable workers to use AI. Boston Consulting Group — Christoph Schweizer BCG CEO Christoph Schweizer described his leadership style in a video produced by the company: "Values-led, empathetic, transparent, curious," he says. The firm elected Schweizer for a second term this year. BCG says its reelection process is "unique." All 1,500 managing directors and partners have an equal vote when choosing a CEO. Schweizer, who first became CEO in 2021, joined BCG in 1997, according to his biography on the firm's website. He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business and a Bachelor's degree from the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany. During his tenure, BCG has grown in several areas, including the firm's investments in AI — which accounted for bout 20% of the firm's total revenue in 2024 and are expected to grow this year, according to a press release from BCG. Schweizer has also navigated some controversies during his tenure, including two recent projects related to the Gaza conflict. BCG backed out of a multimillion-dollar American-Israeli project to deliver aid in Gaza that was marked by violence. And two senior BCG leaders were demoted for their role in another project that modeled the potential cost of relocating Palestinians from the territory. One of the firm's biggest challenges moving forward, Schweizer says in the company interview, will be helping clients embed AI. "To seize the opportunity, our clients need to fundamentally redefine operating models, value chains, decision-making, and end-to-end processes, while protecting themselves from associated risks, such as info security," he said. Another major focus for BCG is sustainability, he said. "Companies and governments will have to get serious about decarbonization extremely fast: setting the right targets, reduction mechanisms, metrics, and enforcement," Schweizer said.
Express Tribune
28-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Agri sector: solving the implementation impasse
Daud Khan is a consultant and advisor for various Governments and international agencies. He has degrees in Economics from the LSE and Oxford — where he was a Rhodes Scholar. And Mahmood Nawaz Shah has a BS in Marketing and an MS in Engineering Management from George Washington University. He is the President of the Sindh Abadgar Board Listen to article Agriculture is a critical sector of the economy providing jobs, food and export revenues. It is likely to maintain its key role particularly as manufacturing and services sectors, which have led development in many other countries, have not grown as they should have. Unfortunately, performance of the agriculture sector this year has been poor with a fall in production of most major crops and overall growth of 0.56%. In part, this was due to the unfavourable weather, with drought-like conditions and high temperatures in most parts of the country. In part, it was also due to the speed of reforms of the corrupt and inefficient wheat procurement system — reforms that were long overdue but maybe needed more time and better preparation. To get agriculture back on track, further reforms are needed such as liberalising domestic and international trade in both products and inputs. At the same time, the billions that were being spent on wheat procurement need to be redirected to neglected areas such as research and extension, promotion of agri-tech companies, land consolidation and use of new areas where cultivation is possible, albeit intermittently, due to climate change. If needed, further resources could be mobilised by reforming or privatising other inefficient government enterprises, such as the provincial seed companies and livestock farms. However, these changes, unlike policy reforms, require strong implementation capacity. And, to anyone familiar with development efforts in Pakistan, implementation remains our Achilles heel. Provincial Government departments dealing with agriculture, livestock and fisheries are weak with the bulk of expenditures going on salaries of support staff; senior management staff that are rotated in and out of the concerned departments at a breakneck pace; and technical experts who are mostly out of touch with modern agriculture techniques. At the same time at federal level, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research is understaffed and weak. In past years, it has made several blunders, including mismanagement of Pakistan imports and exports of essential foods such as wheat and sugar, with severe consequences on market supplies and prices. The unfortunate truth is that as long as Government and development partners continue to use inefficient and corrupt public institutions as their main partner, implementation will be slow and ineffective. But are there other implementation partners whose can be drawn in to ease the lack of implementation capacity? The answer is a resounding yes. First and foremost, there are farmers themselves. There is a pressing need to get farmers, especially small and medium farmers, to be much more involved in defining and implementing development initiatives. There is much experience to draw on, from inside and outside Pakistan, on the benefits of participatory development including for construction of local infrastructure. Such activities ensure relevance to local needs, better O&M and possibilities of cost sharing. And such involvement of beneficiaries need not — in fact, should not — stop at the farm gate but include other actors along the value chain such as traders, wholesalers, processors and transports. The next set of actors to bring more into the process are the private sector - and here we mean the medium and large enterprises that produce, import and supply inputs to the farmers; harvest, transport and process their output; provide them machinery service as well as credit and loans when needed; and help them with market information. Too often, some of these actors have been vilified as being exploitative, but they are an essential part of the agricultural eco-system, have deep knowledge and often deep pockets. An emerging and dynamic group are the new agro-tech entrepreneurs. These are mainly tech and financially savvy young people who see the inefficiencies in the agricultural sector as an opportunity rather than a problem and are investing money and skills. The third set of actors are the various NGOs that work in agriculture and rural development. Pakistan has a long history of active NGOs. Of note are the pioneering efforts by Akhtar Hameed Khan and subsequently by the Aga Khan Rural Support programme. Building on the work of these champions, rural support programmes have been set up at national, provincial and local level and several of these have come together to form a National Rural Support Network which promotes joint learning, assessment of experience and advocacy for a more "people driven" form of development. The fourth set of actors whose involvement needs to be enhanced are experts outside the country. These include people in universities, think-tanks and research institutions in the region and around the world, as well as the diaspora several of who have worked in top institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the UN. These actors need to have been given a greater role in direct implementation. Moreover, coming together they can try to find innovations, learning as necessary from experience in other areas, particularly health and education. In these two areas, the private sector has played a key role, for example, in providing both fee paying and free services to people, including in remote areas. In addition, NGOs have played a major role, and bold experiments are underway such as allowing these NGOs to run Government schools and hospitals. Similarly, charitable organisations such as Edhi have become an essential pillar of most urban landscapes providing ambulances, funeral services and even care for abandoned animals. Last but not least, there are institutions such as Kaarigar and the vocation centre initially set up by Aman Foundation and now managed by Hunar Foundation, that work to build skills for underprivileged groups. In addition, these new actors should be involved in strengthening the Governance systems that guide and oversee the development effort. For example, they need to be part of the boards of the public research institutions, serve as advisors to chambers of commerce, and above all have access to top policymakers such as the Prime Minister, the Chief Ministers of the provinces, and ministers of agriculture at federal and provincial levels.
News18
09-06-2025
- Business
- News18
Oxford University Admissions: Rhodes Scholarship To Be Available To More Indians From 2028
Last Updated: Rhodes Scholarship: Other countries where the number of scholarships may increase include China and several in Africa. Presently, China receives four, and Africa receives 21. The Rhodes Scholarship Trust, which offers the prestigious scholarship for studying at the University of Oxford, plans to increase the number of scholarships available to Indian students starting in 2028 to better reflect the country's population size, according to Sir Richard Trainor, the trust's CEO. Trainor, who visited India ahead of the announcement for the 2026 academic session applications, mentioned in an interview with PTI that currently, six scholarships are awarded to Indian candidates annually. 'The priority now is to try to get some additional scholarships for places where the number of scholars per head of population could be higher and India is one of those places. So, we have six scholarships a year for India, which is good, but there are a billion and a half people in this country, as you know, so there should be more scholarships," Trainor, who is also the interim warden of Rhodes House told the news agency. 'We are trying to raise money for additional scholarships, because the trust needs to have that money in the endowment in order to pay the fees to the University of Oxford and to pay the living expenses of the scholars," he added. Other countries where the number of scholarships may increase include China and several in Africa. Presently, China receives four scholarships, and Africa receives 21. 'We would like to have some additional scholars in each of these three areas by the time of the 125th anniversary of the scholarship scheme, which is 2028. We are going to have a big push on fund raising between now and the 125th anniversary," Trainor noted. Trainor, a Rhodes Scholar himself in 1970, reflected on how the scholarship transformed his life. The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to outstanding students for two to three years of study at the University of Oxford, depending on their academic programme. Students aged 18-23 (up to 27 in specific cases) are eligible to apply. As one of the world's most prestigious and oldest graduate fellowships, the Rhodes Scholarship has been based at the University of Oxford since 1903. Administered by the Rhodes Trust, the program awards 106 fully funded scholarships to students worldwide who demonstrate academic excellence, exceptional character, leadership, achievement in extracurricular activities, and a commitment to addressing global challenges. Applications for the 2026 session began on June 3 and will be open until July 23. First Published: June 09, 2025, 08:23 IST
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
More Rhodes scholarships to Oxford University for Indians from 2028
The Rhodes Scholarship Trust, which offers the prestigious scholarship for studying at the University of Oxford, is aiming to increase the number of scholarships for Indians from 2028, to align with the country's population strength, Richard Trainor, the trust's CEO, said. Mr. Trainor, who was in India ahead of the announcement of applications for the 2026 academic session, told PTI in an interview that six scholarships are presently offered to Indian candidates annually. "The priority now is to try to get some additional scholarships for places where the number of scholars per head of population could be higher, and India is one of those places. So, we have six scholarships a year for India, which is good, but there are a billion and a half people in this country, as you know, so there should be more scholarships," Mr. Trainor, who is also the interim warden of the Rhodes House, said. "We are trying to raise money for additional scholarships, because the trust needs to have that money in the endowment in order to pay the fees to the University of Oxford, and to pay the living expenses of the scholars," he said. The other regions on the trust's radar for increasing the number of scholarships are China, and Africa. At present, four scholarships are offered to candidates from China, and 21 scholarships are offered to candidates from Africa. "We would like to have some additional scholars in each of these three areas by the time of the 125th anniversary of the scholarship scheme, which is 2028. We are going to have a big push on fundraising between now and the 125th anniversary," Mr. Trainor said. Mr. Trainor, who himself was a Rhodes Scholar in 1970, says people often talk about the Rhodes Scholarship transforming their lives. '...it also transformed mine. I had barely been out of the United States at the time that I took up the scholarship and, you know, it broadened my view of the world and led to my becoming a historian of another country, and then making my career in another country, and so on,' he said. "So, and then having this series of academic leadership jobs which have been very international in scope. Scholarships was totally beyond my background and aspirations at that stage," he said. The Rhodes Scholarship is given to outstanding students to undertake two to three years of study, depending on the academic curriculum taken, at the University of Oxford. Students aged 18–23 years (up to 27 years in particular circumstances) are eligible to apply. The Rhodes Scholarship is among the world's pre-eminent and oldest graduate fellowships, based at the University of Oxford since 1903. Administered by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, the programme awards 106 fully funded scholarships to students from anywhere in the world with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, achievement in extracurricular activities and a commitment to solving humanity's challenges. The applications for the 2026 session began on June 3 and are open till July 23. Noted Rhodes scholars from India include the late Olympian Ranjit Bhatia, the late playwright Girish Karnad, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, researcher and historian Mahesh Rangarajan, environmental law expert Lavanya Rajamani, among others.
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Rhodes scholarship for studying at University of Oxford to be available to more Indians from 2028
New Delhi, The Rhodes Scholarship Trust, which offers the prestigious scholarship for studying at University of Oxford, is aiming to increase number of scholarships for Indians from 2028 to align with the country's population strength, according to Sir Richard Trainor, the trust's CEO. Trainor, who was in India ahead of the announcement of applications for 2026 academic session, told PTI in an interview that presently six scholarships are offered to Indian candidates annually. "The priority now is to try to get some additional scholarships for places where the number of scholars per head of population could be higher and India is one of those places. So, we have six scholarships a year for India, which is good, but there are a billion and a half people in this country, as you know, so there should be more scholarships," Trainor, who is also the interim warden of the Rhodes House, said. "We are trying to raise money for additional scholarships, because the trust needs to have that money in the endowment in order to pay the fees to the University of Oxford and to pay the living expenses of the scholars," he said. The other countries on radar for increasing the number of scholarships are China and Africa. At present four scholarships are offered to candidates from China and 21 from Africa. "We would like to have some additional scholars in each of these three areas by the time of the 125th anniversary of the scholarship scheme, which is 2028. We are going to have a big push on fund raising between now and the 125th anniversary," he said. Trainor, who himself was a Rhodes Scholar back in 1970, says people often talk about the Rhodes Scholarship transforming their lives. "...it also transformed mine. I had barely been out of the United States at the time that I took up the scholarship and, you know, it broadened my view of the world and led to my becoming a historian of another country and then making my career in another country and so on. "So, and then having this series of academic leadership jobs which have been very international in scope. Scholarships was totally beyond my background and aspirations at that stage," he said. The Rhodes Scholarship is given to outstanding students to undertake two to three years of study, depending on the academic curriculum taken, at the University of Oxford. Students aged 18–23 are eligible to apply. The Rhodes Scholarship is among the world's pre-eminent and oldest graduate fellowships, based at the University of Oxford since 1903. Administered by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, the programme awards 106 fully funded scholarships to students from anywhere in the world with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, achievement in extra-curricular activities and a commitment to solving humanity's challenges. The applications for the 2026 session began on June 3 and are open till July 23. Noted Rhodes Scholar from India include economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia, writer Girish Karnard, environmental law expert Lavanya Rajamani, political commentator and psephologist Mahesh Rangarajan and Olympian Ranjit Bhatia among others.
