Kearney elects Bob Willen as next global managing partner
Bob Willen has been elected as Kearney’s new global managing partner. He will take up his new role at the end of April, when incumbent Alex Liu completes his second four-year term.
Explaining his priorities for his new role, Willen said, “Having lived and worked on three continents, I understand the challenges our clients are facing around the globe and have seen firsthand how Kearney can be the difference through our relentless focus on results and innovation. I am proud to be elected Kearney’s next managing partner to build on our positive momentum over the past five years and to continue delivering impact and value for our clients.”
Willen joined Kearney in 1995 and was elected partner in 2003. He has more than 25 years of consulting experience leading strategic and organisational transformations for large commercial and government clients globally. Since 2015, Willen has led Kearney’s Middle East and Africa region, in addition to previous positions leading global aerospace and defence, automotive, transportation, and infrastructure practices.
He was elected as the tenth managing partner and chairman of Kearney by the firm’s partners. He will succeed Alex Liu before May 2024, as he concludes his second term at the helm.
Liu was first elected in 2018, and his tenure has seen the firm expanded its digital and analytics expertise, investing in teams and capabilities for the next major technological shift. At the same time, under his leadership, the firm created greater client impact in strategic operations and large-scale transformation and made six acquisitions in strategic growth areas: Cervello, Prokura, OPTANO, TEAMS Design, Silicon Foundry, and MSE. In the past five years, this has helped the firm enjoy consistent double-digit annual growth, while building an ownership-minded firm fit for the next generation of leaders.
Kearney is an US-headquartered strategy consulting firm, with offices in more than 40 countries worldwide. It has been advising C-suites, government bodies and non-profit organisations for more than 100 years. It is also a factory-line of executive talent – with a report in 2023 finding that more than 5% of US bosses alone have passed through the firm during their career.
