McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm, informally known as "McKinsey" or "McK." It provides professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations, and is widely regarded as the oldest and largest of the major management consulting firms.

Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinsey—when employees called themselves "management engineers" rather than consultants—the firm was shaped into its modern form by Marvin Bower, who joined in 1933. McKinsey became a private corporation owned exclusively by its employees in 1956. Today it is a privately held partnership headquartered in New York City, governed by a Shareholders Council comprising the managing partner plus 30 elected senior partners. It is led by Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels.

The firm operates offices in more than 65 countries across six regions, with location managers in more than 130 cities. Workforce figures vary by source (roughly 38,000 per Wikipedia in 2025, about 45,000 per Britannica in 2023), and reported revenue was approximately $16 billion in 2023. Its alumni network spans around 34,000 people at over 15,000 organizations across 120 countries.

As a firm whose business is advising organizations on strategy and management, innovations in this space are directly relevant to McKinsey's core service offering and its ability to serve clients across the private, public, and social sectors.