Quantum’s Bold Promise: What Business Leaders Need to Know
Quantum computing is moving from a perceived security threat to a strategic opportunity for enterprises. McKinsey estimates multibillion‑dollar enterprise value creation over the next decade, with early pilots already showing speedups in finance, drug discovery, and supply‑chain optimization. While hardware challenges remain, hybrid quantum‑classical workflows can deliver incremental gains now, and fault‑tolerant machines are projected by 2030 to enable large‑scale simulations and quantum‑AI. Business leaders are urged to identify high‑impact use cases and partner with technology teams to translate quantum experiments into measurable cost savings.
The Case for Data Centers in Space
Starcloud is developing orbital data centers to meet surging AI compute demand, beginning with a 1‑kW satellite that ran inference in space and progressing to a 10‑kW rack‑scale unit slated for launch within a year. The company’s roadmap targets a...
Code and Cargo: How AI Could Change Freight Logistics
AI‑driven platforms are reshaping freight brokerage, allowing start‑ups to replicate or bypass traditional logistics software. Incumbent asset‑light forwarders face pressure as large‑language‑model agents can automate pricing, capacity sourcing, and documentation. Companies that combine their scale, relationships, and proprietary data with...
How Private Equity Is Using M&A Integrations to Overcome Headwinds
Private equity firms are turning to accelerated M&A integration strategies to counteract market headwinds such as inflation, supply‑chain disruptions, and tighter credit conditions. By deploying dedicated integration teams, digital platforms, and data‑driven due diligence, they aim to unlock cost synergies...
Global Lighthouse Voices: A Talk with CITIC Dicastal’s Badr Lahmoudi
CITIC Dicastal’s Morocco plant has become Africa’s first member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, showcasing a comprehensive digital transformation. The site deployed a pioneering vision‑based casting system that reduces new‑product setup time from weeks to six minutes, while...
Rewiring Europe: Turning Pressure Into Performance
Europe is at a productivity inflection point, pressured by energy shortages, US tech advances, and Chinese competition. McKinsey partners Jan Mischke and Ruth Heuss argue that only a handful of firms are delivering meaningful productivity gains, with AI adoption still...
AI, Strategy, and the Future of Work: Oxford Economist Jean-Paul Carvalho
Oxford economist Jean‑Paul Carvalho argues that artificial intelligence is reshaping corporate strategy and the future of work. He notes that AI can lift productivity by as much as 30% when embedded in core processes, but the gains hinge on addressing...
Ushering in the Next Era of Frontline Nursing with AI
McKinsey’s 2026 Nursing AI Insights Survey of 521 frontline nurses shows that 65% have increased their use of AI tools over the past year, yet only about 2% say AI is embedded in every aspect of their work. Adoption is...
Accelerating Permitting: Lessons From the City of Austin
Austin’s sprawling growth left its site‑plan review process dragging up to 18 months, prompting a citywide overhaul. Leaders partnered with McKinsey, introduced a transparent “pizza tracker,” and piloted AI‑assisted plan reviews. Within months the initial review cycle shrank by roughly...
Understanding Domestic Nuclear Fuel Production Options in the United States
A new McKinsey analysis maps the United States’ domestic nuclear fuel supply chain, outlining the three primary pathways—uranium mining, conversion/enrichment, and fuel fabrication. The report quantifies the current reliance on imports, which exceeds 90 percent for enriched uranium, and evaluates...
Where the Industry Is Heading: Five Takeaways From the 2026 Beijing Auto Show
The 2026 Beijing Auto Show underscored China’s transition from a follower to a global automotive hub, occupying 380,000 sq m, displaying 1,451 vehicles and 181 world premieres. It highlighted deepening cross‑border collaborations, with multinationals moving toward co‑development on Chinese platforms and Chinese...
Targeted and Timely: Curating Aesthetic Care for GLP-1 Patients
The surge in GLP‑1 agonist use for weight loss is prompting a wave of elective aesthetic procedures. A recent survey of 127 U.S. aesthetics providers shows 20% of GLP‑1 patients opting for surgical lifts and 39% of nonsurgical users considering...
Scaling Mental Health Where Life Happens: Helping Santiago Thrive Across the Lifespan
Santiago faces a growing mental‑health crisis affecting teens to seniors, with anxiety rates near 20 % and rising isolation among retirees. Traditional clinics cannot keep pace, prompting city officials to seek community‑based solutions. Healthy Santiago embeds counseling in everyday venues—schools, markets,...
Can Agentic AI (Finally) Modernize Core Technologies in Insurance?
Insurers have long struggled to modernize legacy core systems, citing complexity, cost and risk. Agentic AI—autonomous software agents that can reverse‑engineer code, generate configurations, run tests and orchestrate cutover—promises to reshape the modernization cost curve. McKinsey’s analysis shows productivity gains...
An Executive’s Survival Guide to Capital Projects
The article outlines seven leadership lessons for executives overseeing large‑scale capital projects, emphasizing independent validation of cost and schedule, early design‑contract integration, collaborative team structures, daily risk discipline, and proactive regulator and community engagement. It draws on insights from senior...
What It Takes to Build ‘Genius at Scale’
Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill argues that innovation depends on building a system where every employee’s "slice of genius" can be harnessed, not on occasional eureka moments. In her new book *Genius at Scale* she outlines three leadership roles—the...
Where AI Will Create Value—And Where It Won’t
McKinsey warns that AI’s biggest business impact will come from reshaping offerings, models and market structures, not from incremental productivity gains. While nine‑in‑ten firms have deployed AI, 94% report little measurable value, echoing the historic Solow paradox. Early productivity wins...
Making Mergers Work: A Playbook for Public Sector Consolidations
The article presents a five‑step playbook for public‑sector mergers, drawing on recent federal examples such as the proposed Administration for a Healthy America and the Defense Health Agency’s integration. It highlights unique hurdles—deep cultural silos, layered oversight, and stringent IT...
An Agile Approach to Hiring: Mastercard’s Tech Talent Transformation
Mastercard has overhauled its technology hiring process by applying agile principles, turning recruitment into a rapid, iterative operation. The company introduced an internal talent marketplace, leveraged data‑driven sourcing, and forged partnerships with coding bootcamps to accelerate talent pipelines. These changes...
Shopping in the Age of AI: Redefining Stores for a New Era
Artificial intelligence is redefining how shoppers discover and purchase products, shifting the store from a pure transaction point to an experiential hub. Retailers are integrating AI‑driven personalization, real‑time inventory visibility, and seamless omnichannel touchpoints within physical locations. Simultaneously, real‑estate firms...
From Promise to Impact: How Companies Can Measure—And Realize—The Full Value of AI
McKinsey outlines a practical framework for quantifying AI’s economic impact, moving firms from hype to measurable outcomes. The guide emphasizes defining clear business objectives, selecting appropriate KPIs, and establishing a baseline before AI deployment. It recommends a phased rollout—pilot, scale,...
The Deeper Forces Shaping Global Trade
The authors argue that tariffs are no longer the primary catalyst of recent trade realignments. Instead, long‑term technological advances and shifting economic development patterns are reshaping what goods are produced and where. Automation, digital platforms, and rising middle‑class consumption in...
Transforming From a Position of Strength: Brambles CEO Graham Chipchase
Brambles CEO Graham Chipchase led a two‑track transformation that sharpened its core pallet‑logistics business while building digital and data‑driven capabilities. After divesting non‑pallet assets in 2018, the company embraced transparent, bottom‑up communication to win internal buy‑in and reassure investors. The...
Reimagining Tech Infrastructure for (and with) Agentic AI
Enterprises must redesign IT infrastructure to support the rise of agentic AI, which automates 60‑80% of routine tasks and promises 20‑40% cost reductions. However, projected infrastructure spending could triple by 2030 while budgets stay flat, creating a dual pressure on...
Beyond the Grant: How Philanthropy Can Rewire Education Financing
A new report highlights a $97 billion annual education financing gap, worsened by projected ODA cuts of $3.2 billion. Private philanthropy can act as a catalyst, with $3.3 billion in grant redirection potentially unlocking $52 billion of new capital for low‑ and middle‑income countries....
Author Talks: The Power of Human Connection
Steelcase Vice President Tracy Brower warns that a convenience‑driven culture is amplifying loneliness across workplaces. He argues that human connection is essential for mental health, stress reduction, and overall well‑being. The discussion highlights how social interaction can counteract the isolation...
How Leaders Can Help Their Organizations Metabolize Strain
The article outlines how leaders can transform workplace stress into a source of growth by treating strain like a metabolic process. It recommends diagnosing stress signals, adjusting organizational structures, and fostering adaptive cultures that convert pressure into innovation. Practical tools...
A Talent Playbook for the AI Era
Companies are pouring money into artificial intelligence, but talent shortages are the primary obstacle to scaling deployments. The article argues that the real bottleneck is a skills gap, not technical integration or regulatory hurdles. It recommends aggressive upskilling and a...
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In its centennial flagship event, McKinsey gathered CEOs and CXOs from leading Chinese and multinational firms to discuss a fundamental shift in China’s growth logic—from high‑speed expansion to structural optimization. Chairman Joe Ngai warned companies must move from “getting bigger”...
Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon on Adapting to Disruption
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said the U.S. economy benefits from ongoing fiscal stimulus, bipartisan support for spending and a deregulatory tilt, which together create a resilient market backdrop. He noted that large firms are pouring money into AI infrastructure,...
Australia’s AI Moment: Building Asia–Pacific’s Compute Hub
McKinsey projects AI could generate up to AU$6.8 trillion (US$4.5 trillion) in global economic value, with Australia poised to capture a share by becoming an Asia‑Pacific compute hub. To meet projected AI‑driven demand, the country would need to expand data‑centre capacity from...
Beyond $1 Trillion: The Next Chapter for Insurance and Private Capital
McKinsey’s latest report shows global insurance firms now hold over $1 trillion in private‑capital assets, driven by low‑interest rates and a push for higher returns. The study outlines three growth pathways: deeper allocation to private equity, expansion into private debt, and...
Managing Geopolitical Value at Stake to Seize Opportunities While Mitigating Risk
McKinsey’s latest insight urges corporations to quantify the geopolitical value at stake and embed risk mitigation into core strategy. The report outlines a four‑step framework—mapping exposure, scenario planning, resilient operating models, and continuous monitoring—to turn geopolitical turbulence into measurable opportunity....
A Commercial Breakthrough for Commercial Aerospace Suppliers
Aviation suppliers are shifting from relying on new aircraft programs to extracting growth from commercial execution on existing platforms. With few new single‑aisle launches expected before 2034, OEMs are prioritising capacity, price, and contract economics, prompting suppliers to win more...
Paving the Road for AI Agents: Interview with Factory CEO Matan Grinberg
Factory CEO Matan Grinberg outlines his company’s strategy to commercialize autonomous AI agents that can execute complex tasks across enterprise workflows. He highlights recent product releases that integrate large‑language models with real‑time data APIs, enabling agents to retrieve, analyze, and...
State of Food & Beverage: The Choices CPG Leaders Can Make to Renew Growth
The consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector is experiencing a rapid acceleration in value erosion, driven by inflation‑linked price pressures and shifting consumer tastes. Executives are urged to remodel product portfolios, sharpen brand value propositions, and fully exploit technology and artificial...
The Quiet Enabler: Data Management Best Practices for APS Deployments
Data management has evolved from a back‑office cleanup task to a strategic capability that underpins Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) initiatives. Implementing robust data practices at the outset of an APS rollout accelerates value realization and improves planning accuracy. Core...
How European Organizations Can Treat Skills as a Strategic Priority
European firms are increasingly viewing workforce skills as a core strategic asset rather than a peripheral HR issue. A McKinsey analysis shows that skill gaps cost the region roughly €300 billion a year, prompting CEOs to embed skill planning into corporate...
Designing an End-to-End Technology Workforce for the AI-First Era
CIOs are overhauling technology organizations to thrive in the AI‑first era, balancing cost cuts, innovation, and geopolitical risk. They must redesign hiring practices, reskill staff, and renegotiate vendor contracts to extract real ROI from agentic AI. Top‑performing firms already involve...
Brilliant Moves: Coffee with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the carrier is operating like a five‑year‑old startup inside a century‑old airline, using the pandemic as a catalyst to reset culture and technology. He emphasizes radical transparency with passengers and a hiring model that...
Preparing for Ukraine’s Reconstruction by Reducing Risk for Private Funding
Ukraine faces a massive reconstruction task estimated at $300 billion. McKinsey argues that unlocking private capital will require systematic risk‑reduction tools such as sovereign guarantees, insurance pools, and blended‑finance structures. The firm proposes a dedicated reconstruction fund, streamlined procurement, and a...
Growth in the Era of Intentional Shoppers: Beyond Omnichannel Grocery in Latin America
McKinsey’s latest study shows Latin America’s grocery market is being reshaped by a surge of intentional shoppers who prioritize health, sustainability and price transparency. Digital channels now account for roughly one‑third of total grocery spend, while brick‑and‑mortarestill handles about 60%...
Economic Conditions Outlook, March 2026
McKinsey’s March 2025 Global Survey shows respondents now view trade‑policy shifts and geopolitical instability as equally disruptive to the world economy, a departure from earlier quarters where geopolitics dominated. Nearly seven‑in‑ten executives anticipate a recession, with demand‑led slowdown seen as the...
COO Excellence: The Next Generation of Leadership
The chief operating officer role is rapidly evolving from a traditional operational manager to a strategic partner that translates corporate vision into execution. McKinsey’s COO Excellence initiative reveals that 40% of CEOs appointed in 2024 previously served as COOs or...
TELUS CIO Hesham Fahmy: Building a Culture of Innovation to Drive Tech Leadership and Business Value
TELUS Chief Information Officer Hesham Fahmy outlined a multi‑year plan to embed a culture of innovation across the company’s technology organization. The strategy emphasizes rapid prototyping, cross‑functional squads, and a new internal venture fund to accelerate digital products. Fahmy highlighted...
Gina Raimondo on Bolstering US Competitiveness
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo outlined how the United States must strengthen its competitive edge amid a multipolar world order. She warned that tariffs, once imposed, are politically sticky and likely to persist, while industrial policy will lean toward one‑time...
From Ineffective Audits to Energy Excellence
Industrial firms face mounting pressure from soaring energy prices, yet conventional audits rarely uncover transformative savings. Companies often generate only incremental ideas, leaving large inefficiencies hidden. A deeper, data‑driven analysis can expose hidden consumption drivers that traditional methods overlook. Leveraging...
Who Should Own What? Revisiting the ‘Natural Owner’ Principle
In 1989 McKinsey consultants John Stuckey and Rob McLean introduced the “natural owner” principle, arguing firms should retain only businesses they can uniquely maximize NPV for. The concept, originally a defensive tool for divestiture, has evolved into a strategic lens for...
The Great Ownership Transfer: A New Era of Business Stewardship
The United States faces an unprecedented wave of small‑business ownership transitions as baby‑boomers retire, with an estimated six million SMBs hitting the market by 2035 and over $5 trillion in enterprise value at stake. Only about one‑million firms are deemed viable for...
The Promise of Employee Ownership
Over the next decade, an estimated six million U.S. small and midsize businesses—representing up to $5 trillion in enterprise value—will change hands as baby‑boomers retire. Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, founded in 2021, specializes in converting founder‑owned firms into employee‑owned...