Michael W. Bender

Michael Bender is a Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company, after working at the Management Consulting Firm for 32 years (until October 2021). He is currently based in Chicago, but during his time at McKinsey, worked across the globe.

With McKinsey, Michael founded and led McKinsey Digital, the Firm’s worldwide Digital and Analytics practice from 2016 to 2019. Before that, from 2005 to 2016, he led with several other colleagues, the creation and growth of McKinsey’s Business Technology Office – a dedicated business unit providing Technology Advisory and targeted IT Services to Fortune 500 enterprises. Throughout his career at McKinsey, he has led a range of strategic and people efforts for the Firm.

His client support mostly focused on the crossroads between Enterprise-wide technology adoption and the rapid innovation in technology supply – software, IT Services, and hardware.

Michael’s post-McKinsey professional activities will be concentrated on selected Board and Advisory positions, primarily in the Technology and Innovation arenas.

Serves on the Digital Advisory Board for Itau-Unibanco (Brazil), with bi-annual Board and
Leadership Team meetings focused on the opportunities and threats from Technology disruption
Serves on the Board of the Steppenwolf Theater Company (Chicago) – and as a member of the Finance and Audit committees
He holds an M.Phil in Economics from Oxford University (where he studied as a Marshall Scholar and played for the Oxford Blues Basketball Team) and a B.A. in Economics from Harvard College