McKinsey Partner Scott Beardsley new Darden Dean
Scott Beardsley, currently Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, will take on the role of Dean of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business from August 1st 2015. Beardsley brings a wealth of experience in the field of learning and leadership development to his new role.
Scott Beardsley will join the Darden School of Business with extensive experience in the development of talent and capabilities, most recently gained as Global Chair of McKinsey’s Learning and Leadership Development Council. Beardsley joined McKinsey & Company in 1989 and quickly moved through the ranks. He was elected partner in 1995 and promoted to Senior Partner four and a half years later. More recently, he led McKinsey’s Strategy Practice in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for seven years, and co-led for years the committees that elect partners and senior partners.
Beardsley is currently a candidate at the University of Pennsylvania for an executive doctorate in higher education management, which he is expected to receive in May. He was a Henry S. Dupont III Scholar for outstanding academic performance at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he graduated with an MBA in Corporate Strategy and Marketing and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University (US).
Beardsley will join Darden as the ninth Dean at the start of august and has been selected for his wealth of knowledge and global perspective. “Scott rose to the top of a highly competitive and global pool of candidates. He brings to Darden a deep and global understanding of business, a successful track record of developing business leaders at all levels and experience in and passion for education, teaching and research. He has the leadership skills required to advance this dynamic, world-class institution, and we're excited for what's ahead,” explains John D. Simon, University of Virginia Executive Vice President and Provost.
Commenting on the appointment, Beardsley says: “I am honoured by the opportunity. I believe deeply in Darden’s values and its clear and focused mission to improve the world by developing responsible leaders and advancing knowledge. I am very excited to be part of the University of Virginia family, and its Jeffersonian commitment to excellence.” McKinsey Global Managing Director Dominic Barton adds: “Scott has been an amazing leader, from our board of directors to the strategy practice, and is one of our very best values-driven people developers. Scott is a true global citizen, and we are sorry to see him go, but know he will thrive in his new role as dean of the Darden School.”
McKinsey Dean legacy
Beardsley is not the first ex-McKinsey leader to become business school Dean, the list includes Hugh Courtney, now dean of Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Bernard Ferrari, Dean of the Carey School of Business at Johns Hopkins University, and McKinsey partner Robert S. Parker led Georgetown University’s business school.
