McKinsey appoints Toronto-based partner Andrew Pickersgill as chair

McKinsey & Company has appointed Andrew Pickersgill, a Toronto-based senior partner, as board chair, effective Wednesday. The New York-headquartered management consultancy also slimmed down its board from 30 members to 12 senior partners plus managing partner Bob Sternfels, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The moves are part of series of governance changes McKinsey has made in recent years to address prior lapses, including opioid marketing work at Purdue Pharma and a government corruption scandal in South Africa.

McKinsey’s senior partners in 2023 met in Seoul and decided on a multiyear plan to alter the firm’s governance. Among the changes are more rigorous processes for approving new clients.

Pickersgill, a senior partner who has been with the firm for more than 25 years, takes on the chair role from Sternfels, who will continue to lead McKinsey’s day-to-day operations as managing partner. The firm has traditionally had its managing partner also serve as board chair.

The separate chair role and a smaller board aim to create more independence between the board and management, McKinsey leaders told The Wall Street Journal.

The board’s mandate includes challenging McKinsey leaders and asking big-picture questions about the direction of the firm, Pickersgill said.

“We provide governance and oversight,” he told The Wall Street Journal.

Pickersgill joined McKinsey in 1998, initially working on technology sector engagements in the firm’s San Francisco office. He later transferred to the Toronto office and served as managing partner for Canada and global public sector practice leader.

Pickersgill also previously chaired the committee that elects McKinsey’s partners.

He has an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Queen’s University.