Ian Davis to take over Rajat Gupta at McKinsey

By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 06 March 2003, 20:30 IST
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Head of McKinsey's London office, Ian Davis has been elected McKinsey's next managing director. Davis is succeeding Rajat Gupta, who was first elected as managing director of the firm in 1994 and is completing his third term, the maximum permitted under McKinsey's policies.

Bangalore: Gupta presided over substantial growth in the 1990s and is given credit for steering the firm away from some of the traps competitors fell into, such as making large investments in internet startups. Under Gupta's direction, McKinsey expanded its global reach. Davis, who takes over in July, will be the tenth person to lead McKinsey since its founding. On Thursday, the firm's 270 senior partners elected Davis to a 3-year term. Davis defeated Michael Patsalos-Fox, leader of the New York practice, to become the consulting firm's managing director for the next three years. "Ian Davis brings distinction to our profession by exemplifying client service and people development at their highest levels," says Gupta. "I conclude my tenure as managing director confident that, in Ian and our other firm leaders, McKinsey is in great hands." Educated at Oxford University, where he received an undergraduate degree in policy, philosophy, and economics, Davis worked for a paper manufacturing company before joining the London office in 1979. "To build on Rajat's accomplishments," says Davis, "we need to stay focused on our core mission and values, which have nourished McKinsey's success over the last seven decades. Our commitment to our clients and our people are at the heart of everything we do."