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Kevin Sneader
Kevin Sneader
from Wikipedia

Kevin Sneader (born c. 1966) is a Canadian and British management consultant. He was McKinsey & Company's global managing partner from July 2018 to July 2021.[4] He failed to secure a second term in that position in early 2021, becoming the first global managing partner since 1976 not to win such an election.[5] He was hired by Goldman Sachs as co-president for the Asia-Pacific region in September 2021.[6]

Key Information

Early life and education

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Kevin Sneader was born 1966 in Canada and grew up in Glasgow, Scotland.[1] His father, Walter Sneader, was a chemistry professor at the University of Strathclyde; his mother, Myrna, was a teacher in a Jewish nursery school. He is Jewish.[3]

Sneader attended Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow and went on to graduate from the University of Glasgow, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws.[1] He earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School,[2] where he was a Baker Scholar.[1]

Career

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Sneader joined McKinsey and Company upon graduating from the University of Glasgow.[7] He was the managing partner of McKinsey's UK and Ireland division until 2014, when he became the chairman of its Asia-Pacific division.[2] In February 2018, he was appointed as McKinsey's global managing partner to succeed Dominic Barton in July.[2][8][9] Kevin Sneader was McKinsey’s first Scottish, and its first Jewish, leader.[10]

Personal life

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Sneader is married to Amy Muntner.[3] Sneader lives in Hong Kong with his wife, Amy, and their two daughters.[10]

Controversy

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In 2019, McKinsey & Company received criticism for its role as consultant to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In a 2019 email to the firm, Sneader indicated that McKinsey had never focused on developing, advising or implementing immigration policies. McKinsey, he wrote, “will not, under any circumstances, engage in work, anywhere in the world, that advances or assists policies that are at odds with our values.” A subsequent New York Times investigation claimed that McKinsey's involvement in deportations had been more extensive than Sneader acknowledged in his email.[11]

Sneader was also in charge in McKinsey during controversies around their work with Saudi Arabia and Russia, the former after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Similarly damaging were revelations of their work with Purdue Pharma while also working for the FDA during the opioid crisis. McKinsey paid $619m to settle claims brought by 50 US states, five territories and the District of Columbia over its opioid work. [12]

The settlements come after lawsuits unearthed a trove of documents showing how McKinsey worked to drive sales of Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin painkiller amid an opioid crisis in the United States that has contributed to the deaths of more than 450,000 people over the past two decades.[13]

References

[edit]
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from Grokipedia
![Kevin Sneader at the World Economic Forum][float-right] Kevin Sneader (born c. 1966) is a Canadian-born management consultant who served as the global managing partner of McKinsey & Company from 2018 to 2021. He joined McKinsey in 1989 after graduating from the University of Glasgow and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, rising through offices in London, Beijing, Paris, and Hong Kong to become regional chairman for Asia-Pacific before his global appointment. Since 2021, Sneader has held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, including as president of Asia Pacific excluding Japan, overseeing operations across the region as a member of the firm's management committee. Sneader's tenure at McKinsey was marked by efforts to expand the firm's presence in and commitments to diversity and transparency, though it coincided with heightened scrutiny over the consultancy's advisory work for clients including on opioids and following the Khashoggi assassination, contributing to ethical concerns that led to his ouster by partners in 2021. At , he has focused on regional growth amid geopolitical tensions, while facing speculation in 2025 about potential moves to lead as chairman. These experiences highlight Sneader's navigation of high-stakes consulting and amid demands for in client engagements.

Early Life and Education

Upbringing and Early Career Influences

Kevin Sneader was born in , , circa 1966, to Scottish parents who relocated temporarily for professional opportunities, returning to shortly after due to the harsh winters. His father, Walter Sneader, was a pharmaceutical and lecturer at the , while his mother, Myrna, served as at the Calderwood Lodge Jewish nursery school. The family enjoyed a comfortable yet modest upbringing in , with vacations typically involving caravanning trips to , fostering a grounded perspective amid Scotland's working-class cultural milieu. Sneader attended Hutcheson's Grammar School, a private institution in , where he developed early interests in community and collective endeavor, notably through his fervent support for Celtic Football Club—a passion that reinforced values of and group commitment in a city divided by sectarian lines. His initial work experience came from part-time sales of jewelry at his uncle's store during weekends and holidays, providing practical exposure to commerce and customer interaction before university. At the , Sneader earned a first-class honors degree in in 1989 and served as president of the Glasgow University Union, honing leadership skills amid student politics. His entry into consulting was influenced by discovering a McKinsey recruitment brochure on , prompting him to prioritize experience over academic pursuits; he declined a prestigious for Harvard to join that year as its first recent graduate hire from , starting as a in the London office. This choice reflected an early , valuing immediate real-world application of analytical rigor—echoing his father's scientific background—over extended scholarly delay.

Academic Qualifications

Kevin Sneader obtained a (LLB) degree with first-class honors from the in 1988. He later earned a (MBA) from , graduating with highest distinction as a Baker Scholar, an honor reserved for the top 5% of the class. These qualifications provided the foundational legal and business expertise that underpinned his subsequent career in .

Professional Career

Initial Roles at McKinsey & Company

Sneader joined in in 1989 as a consultant shortly after graduating from the with a , becoming the firm's first direct recruit from a Scottish university. In his initial year, he immersed himself in client engagements while adapting to the firm's emphasis on discretion and professionalism, including advice from colleagues to have taxis drop him off a block from client sites to avoid appearing extravagant. Over the next four years, Sneader progressed through early consulting roles, handling problem-solving for corporate clients in line with McKinsey's structured approach to strategy and operations. In 1993, he took a leave to pursue an MBA at , where he graduated with highest distinction, before returning to the firm. This period laid the foundation for his subsequent international assignments, though specific early projects remain undocumented in public records.

Rise to Partnership and Senior Leadership

Sneader joined in 1989 as a in the London office, following his undergraduate studies at the . Over the subsequent decades, he progressed through the firm's ranks, working across multiple geographies including , , and the after relocating there in 1999. His ascent to partnership positioned him for increasingly prominent leadership roles, including managing partner of McKinsey's Mid-Atlantic, , and offices. He also led the firm's strategy and practice, served as head of the division, and co-chaired the McKinsey Global Institute. These responsibilities underscored his expertise in regional operations and global advisory services, particularly in and . By the mid-2010s, Sneader had attained senior partner status and was appointed chairman of McKinsey's Asia-Pacific region, overseeing operations across more than 20 offices in a high-growth area critical to the firm's expansion. This role highlighted his strategic focus on emerging markets and internal firm governance, building on his prior experience in client engagements spanning finance, public sector, and corporate strategy.

Global Managing Partner Tenure (2018–2021)

Kevin Sneader was elected as McKinsey & Company's global managing partner on February 25, 2018, by a vote of the firm's more than 560 senior partners, succeeding in the role effective July 1, 2018. As the first non-American to hold the position in the firm's history, Sneader, then based in and previously regional managing partner for , emphasized expanding the firm's global footprint amid rising demand for consulting in emerging markets. Early in his term, he outlined priorities including client service innovation, talent attraction, and addressing societal challenges through business reinvention, as discussed in a July 2018 interview where he highlighted the need for McKinsey to adapt to disruptive technologies and geopolitical shifts. During his tenure, Sneader implemented internal reforms aimed at enhancing ethical and transparency, including stricter client approval processes and new behavioral controls to mitigate risks from controversial engagements. In March 2019, he publicly committed to greater openness about the firm's operations, acknowledging pressures from regulatory scrutiny and reputational risks, while affirming no anticipated short-term revenue impact from heightened standards despite the firm's approximately $10 billion annual revenue at the time. These efforts coincided with McKinsey's continued expansion, including publications on post-pandemic priorities and emerging market growth strategies under Sneader's oversight. The firm also issued its 2020 social responsibility report during this period, aligning practices with UN Global Compact principles. Sneader's three-year term concluded on June 30, 2021, after senior partners voted in February 2021 to deny him a second term—the first such rejection in over four decades—amid dissatisfaction with his of escalating ethical and legal challenges. The vote, conducted among more than partners, reflected internal critiques that his reforms, while substantive, failed to fully restore trust or prevent high-profile settlements, such as the $600 million agreement with U.S. states over prior opioid-related consulting. succeeded him as global managing partner.

Transition and Role at Goldman Sachs (2021–Present)

In September 2021, following the end of his tenure as global managing partner at McKinsey & Company, Kevin Sneader joined Goldman Sachs as a partner and co-president of Asia Pacific Ex-Japan, sharing the role with Todd Leland. The appointment was announced on September 8, 2021, leveraging Sneader's extensive experience in the region from his 32-year career at McKinsey, where he had been based in Hong Kong and led Asia-Pacific operations. In this capacity, Sneader, operating from , oversees ' , markets, consumer banking, , and private wealth management businesses across excluding . He serves as a member of the firm's Firmwide Management Committee and Management Committee, contributing to strategic decisions amid regional economic challenges such as geopolitical tensions and market volatility. By 2024, his role had evolved to sole president of Ex-Japan, reflecting sustained leadership in expanding ' footprint in high-growth markets like and .

Controversies and Ethical Challenges

Involvement in Opioid Crisis Consulting

McKinsey & Company, under whose partnership Kevin Sneader served from 2001 until his departure in 2021, provided consulting services to beginning around 2004, advising on strategies to boost sales of OxyContin and other despite emerging evidence of risks. These efforts included recommending tactics such as targeting physicians who overprescribed , offering rebates to pharmacies tied to overdose metrics, and "turbocharging" sales engines, which contributed to the escalation of the U.S. responsible for over 500,000 overdose deaths from prescription between 1999 and 2020. Sneader, who ascended to global managing partner in July 2018 amid ongoing but undisclosed client work in this area, oversaw the firm as revelations surfaced in 2019 via leaked documents and lawsuits, prompting McKinsey to terminate opioid-related engagements that year. In February 2021, during his tenure, McKinsey agreed to a nearly $600 million settlement with 49 U.S. states to resolve claims of fueling the crisis through such advice, without admitting wrongdoing but acknowledging lapses in client oversight. Sneader stated on behalf of the firm: "We deeply regret that we did not more vigorously question the practices of our clients," reflecting internal recognition of ethical shortcomings in prior pharma consulting. The scandal's fallout factored into partners' decision in February 2021 to vote out Sneader from a second term, citing inadequate handling of controversies including the work, as documented in internal firm communications and external reporting. No indicate Sneader's direct participation in the Purdue account, which was managed by other partners like Martin Elling and Arnab Ghatak, but his senior role implicated him in the firm's accountability for historical client engagements. Subsequent , including a 2020 letter from U.S. Senator to Sneader demanding details on McKinsey's Purdue earnings—estimated in the tens of millions—and potential evidence destruction, underscored ongoing questions about governance during his era.

Engagements with Authoritarian Regimes

Under Sneader's leadership from January 2018 to February 2021, maintained consulting contracts with the government of , an under Crown Prince , focusing on economic diversification efforts outlined in the kingdom's Vision 2030 plan. The firm contributed to projects in education, healthcare, and , while explicitly declining engagements with Saudi ministries of defense, , and interior to avoid conflicts with its values. In December 2018, Sneader publicly defended these activities, stating McKinsey was a "force for good" in and expressing pride in initiatives that created jobs and achieved 30% female employment in its office. These ties drew scrutiny, including a October 23, 2018, letter from U.S. Senator to Sneader questioning whether McKinsey's services enabled repression of critics following the killing of journalist . McKinsey's work in extended to at least 137 projects in 2016, with ongoing involvement reported during Sneader's term, prompting ethical concerns over potential conflicts with U.S. interests given the firm's parallel contracts for American government entities. Critics, including reports from outlets like , argued such engagements elevated the regime's global image despite its authoritarian practices, though McKinsey countered that its selective involvement promoted reform. Sneader reiterated in 2019 that the firm avoided work touching on issues, emphasizing transparency in client selection. In , McKinsey faced backlash in 2021 over an internal communication sent to its office, which the firm later described as a "serious mistake" amid political tensions following the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition figure . Sneader addressed the incident directly with staff, underscoring McKinsey's regret and commitment to apolitical standards, though details of the message's content were not publicly disclosed beyond its perceived misalignment with firm principles. Engagements with during Sneader's tenure included advisory roles that reportedly enhanced the Chinese Communist Party's international prestige, such as organizing high-profile events like the China Development Forum, alongside consulting for state-linked entities. Similar work occurred in under President , where McKinsey provided strategic advice to government bodies, contributing to broader accusations that the firm under Sneader prioritized revenue from authoritarian clients—estimated in the hundreds of millions annually—over ethical boundaries. These relationships were cited among factors in Sneader's ouster by partners in February 2021, with observers noting they exemplified McKinsey's challenges in balancing global expansion against reputational risks from repressive regimes.

Governance and Internal Failures Leading to Ouster

In February 2021, McKinsey & Company's senior partners voted to oust Kevin Sneader as global managing partner after a single three-year term, marking the first such failure to secure re-election since 1976. The process, involving over 600 partners, functioned as a mechanism inherent to the firm's model, where leaders are elected every three years by vote rather than appointed, allowing direct for . This outcome reflected deep internal divisions over Sneader's leadership amid escalating reputational crises, including multimillion-dollar settlements related to opioid consulting and controversial engagements with entities like . Governance shortcomings under Sneader's tenure centered on inadequate oversight of client work that exposed the firm to ethical and legal risks, such as advising on sales strategies that contributed to the U.S. , leading to $573 million in state settlements by 2021. Internal reviews revealed failures in and conflict management, exemplified by the 2018 "" scandal where McKinsey consultants in recommended surveilling and potentially arresting a critical of Crown Prince , prompting the firm to return $15 million in fees from related South African engagements like . Sneader's responses, including firing several partners involved in these matters and implementing stricter compliance measures, were criticized internally for exacerbating divisions rather than resolving root causes, with some partners viewing them as overly punitive that undermined and firm cohesion. These internal failures highlighted broader structural vulnerabilities in McKinsey's decentralized , where profit pressures from high-fee client relationships often outpaced ethical safeguards, leading to repeated engagements with authoritarian regimes and controversial industries despite prior warnings. Sneader's inability to unify partners around reforms—such as enhanced protocols—amid these scandals eroded confidence, as evidenced by his failure to garner sufficient votes against successors like . The ouster underscored the partnership's self-correcting mechanism but also exposed persistent challenges in balancing commercial imperatives with institutional integrity, contributing to ongoing scrutiny of the firm's .

Personal Life and Public Profile

Family and Residences

Kevin Sneader married Amy Laurel Muntner on October 21, 1995, in ; both were management consultants at McKinsey & Company's office at the time. The couple has two daughters. Sneader has primarily resided in since establishing his career base there during his McKinsey tenure, where he lived with his family as of 2018. Following his transition to in 2021 as co-president of ex-Japan, he remains -based, overseeing regional operations from the city. Earlier in his career, Sneader worked from McKinsey offices in (starting 1989), , , , and the (from 1999 onward), reflecting a peripatetic professional life shaped by global assignments.

Philanthropy and Affiliations

Sneader has long been involved in charitable and professional non-profit organizations, particularly those focused on health, business promotion, and environmental conservation. He served on the board of the chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a organization dedicated to funding research and support for blood cancer patients. Additionally, he previously acted as president of the board of the BritishAmerican Business Council, which fosters transatlantic trade and investment ties. In environmental and policy spheres, Sneader is a member of the Council of , an international non-profit aimed at preserving and natural resources across the region. He also holds a position at the , a Washington, D.C.-based conducting research on , , and global affairs. Sneader joined the of FCLTGlobal, a non-profit initiative promoting long-term capital practices among investors and corporations, during his McKinsey tenure around 2019. These affiliations reflect his engagement with causes spanning health advocacy, cross-border business facilitation, , , and , though specific personal financial contributions or leadership durations beyond board service are not publicly detailed in available records.

Views on Global Business and Economics

Perspectives on Asia-Pacific Markets

As President of ex-Japan at since 2021, Kevin Sneader has emphasized the region's appeal for capital diversification amid global uncertainties. He noted that excluding attracted approximately $100 billion in inflows over the nine months prior to 2025, driven by investors reallocating from U.S. assets rather than fully exiting them, describing it as "incremental flow in this part of the world... It’s important to put it in the context of a diversification movement, not an exit movement." This includes faster-moving global capital, while longer-term investments have been slower to return to . Sneader expressed optimism about 's equity markets in September 2025, stating that investor sentiment has improved and "this rally in the equity markets has got some legs," attributing momentum to domestic investors and sectors, though he acknowledged " still faces many challenges." has emerged as a key beneficiary of these flows, benefiting from stable economic policies and yield advantages. Attractive sectors across the region include , discretionary, and industrials, with healthcare gaining traction in private markets as investors eye long-term growth. During his tenure as McKinsey's global managing partner from 2018 to 2021, based in , Sneader foresaw Asia's economic weight surpassing 50% of global GDP by 2040, reshaping supply chains toward more localized and geopolitically resilient models amid digital disruption from AI and . He highlighted Asian disruptors in and as leaders in technology transformation, potentially affecting 60% of jobs through task , while urging supply-chain optimization to capitalize on the region's growth hub status.

Commentary on Consulting Practices and Ethics

Kevin Sneader has publicly acknowledged instances where McKinsey's consulting practices fell short of ethical standards, particularly in engagements involving failures and inadequate oversight. In a July 9, 2018, speech at South Africa's Gordon Institute of Business Science, he admitted that the firm's work for , the state-owned power utility, involved errors such as failed processes, an excessively large fee structure, and a to promptly admit wrongdoing or apologize, which contributed to perceptions of in . Similarly, in a March 2019 interview, Sneader conceded mistakes in McKinsey's advisory role for , including the erroneous preparation of an internal document aimed at identifying government critics via analysis, which he described as a lapse that should not have occurred. Addressing broader ethical challenges, Sneader emphasized the need for rigorous client evaluation to mitigate conflicts of interest and ensure positive societal impact. In response to over McKinsey's parallel consulting for clients like Valeant Pharmaceuticals and investments by its affiliate MIO Partners, he denied any inherent conflict in a March 2019 statement, asserting that an independent review confirmed no , though he acknowledged the perception of secrecy and committed to greater transparency through annual reports and external engagement. He also outlined "no-go zones" for engagements, such as politically sensitive projects in authoritarian contexts lacking democratic safeguards, and in July 2018, announced the firm's refusal to undertake U.S. and work involving the separation of migrant children from parents on moral grounds. Sneader advocated for systemic reforms to embed more deeply into consulting operations, including a new client service policy implemented in July 2019 that assesses engagements based on , topic sensitivity, and individual , with a willingness to forgo short-term revenue for alignment with firm values. In a February 2020 op-ed, he highlighted McKinsey's internal culture of debating "what is the right thing to do" beyond profit metrics and initiatives to systematically evaluate second-order societal effects of advice. Following McKinsey's February 2021 settlements with 49 U.S. state attorneys general over past opioid manufacturer consulting—totaling over $600 million in payouts and reforms—Sneader stated the firm had drawn lessons on inadequate acknowledgment of contributions and pledged enhancements to , , and to prevent recurrence. Despite these commitments, Sneader's tenure saw persistent criticisms that McKinsey's profit-driven model prioritized revenue over ethical scrutiny, as evidenced by ongoing scandals that ultimately led to his ouster in February 2021 by firm partners. He maintained that the firm regularly engages in work and research on global challenges like inequality and to counterbalance controversial engagements, framing ethics as an ongoing internal dialogue rather than a static policy.

References

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