McKinsey & Co.

0 Comments Leave a Comment

1-3 of 3
Categories:
Areas of Interest: Career Management, CEO Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Women CEOs

About McKinsey & Co.

McKinsey & Company is a privately owned management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management in large corporations and organizations.

Read More


Known among its employees simply as "The Firm" [http://www1.excite.com/home/careers/company_profile/0,15623,71,00.html], McKinsey & Company was founded in Chicago in 1926 by James O. ("Mac") McKinsey. McKinsey was a professor at the University of Chicago who pioneered budgeting as a management tool. Marshall Field's became a client in 1935, and soon convinced James McKinsey to leave the firm and become its CEO; however, he died unexpectedly in 1937.

Marvin Bower, who joined the firm in 1933 and succeeded James McKinsey when he left, oversaw the firm's rise to global prominence. When McKinsey died, the Chicago and New York branches of the firm split up. In 1939, with the help of the New York partners, Bower resurrected the New York office and named it McKinsey & Company. One of the first partners at McKinsey, Andrew T. Kearney, retained the Chicago office and renamed the branch after himself, marking the start of the competing management consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

While he always gave James McKinsey credit for the firm's success, Bower established many of its guiding principles. Inspired by his experience at the law firm of Jones Day, he believed that management consulting should subscribe to the highest standards, emphasizing professionalism over any other consideration.

McKinsey maintains offices on all continents (except Antarctica) and in most major cities; in the last few years, the majority of its work has derived from non-U.S. clients.

  1. Mentioned In 3 Articles

  2. 7 Ps of Branding - Fotis Alexandrou geeky adventures

    Explore Article Fotis Alexandrou geeky adventures (Dec 13 2009) CEO Leadership

    Interbrand CEO Jez Frampton argues for “protecting and growing a brand…a company's most valuable asset—and a far less volatile asset than others during a time of economic uncertainty,” (“Interbrand Announces the 2008 Best Global Brands,” ... Both Quelch and Collins emphasize the importance of adopting core brand principles and personality traits, sticking with them and executing on them in the future. According to Kanter, IBM's and Procter & Gamble's strong ... (Read Full Article)

    Comment on Article Mentions:   CMO   CEO   CFO

  3. Careers: Women at the top share five basic tenets

    Explore Article pittsburghlive.com (Oct 4 2009) CEO Leadership , Women CEOs

    Careers: Women at the top share five basic tenets The number of female ceos on the Fortune 500 is 3 percent, with slow progress in the number of female directors, officers and high-paid company earners. ... (Read Full Article)

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Susie Cranston   Joanna Barsh   McKinsey & Co.

  4. Management Consulting: Help or Hazard?

    Explore Article brandingstrategyinsider.com (Sep 28 2009) CEO Leadership

    Management Consulting: Help or Hazard? He should have been in the ceo's office pointing out what was a very bad strategy. A good consultant has to search for what is right in the context of what ... (Read Full Article)

    Comment on Article Mentions:   Jack Welch   Southwest Airlines   Sears

1-3 of 3