McKinsey keeps their biggest clients’ name secret under their Non-disclosure agreement. However, a few employees, including ‘Pete Buttigieg,’ have breached this policy and revealed a few clients’ identities with whom he has worked during his tenure at the company.
Here are 4 of McKinsey’s biggest clients, including some revealed by ‘Pete Buttigieg’:
- Microsoft
- Coca-Cola
- U.S. Postal Service
- Best Buy
In this article, I will dig into 4 of McKinsey’s biggest clients and arrange them in top-to-bottom order based on size.
1. Microsoft
Microsoft, a tech company with a revenue of $1.9 trillion, approximately 221,000 employees, and operations in 100 countries, collaborates with McKinsey to provide a technology solution that helps businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprint. (Source)
This collaboration has led Microsoft to be Mckinsey’s biggest client.
Elisabeth Brinton, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Sustainability, commented on the collaboration, stating, “We are devoted to revving the transition to a more sustainable future, and our partnership with McKinsey to deliver cutting-edge Cloud for Sustainability solutions will help customers assemble a solid IT infrastructure, gain an understanding of their overall carbon footprint, and develop and implement effective decarbonization plans to meet their sustainability objectives.”
(Source)
The partnership combines Microsoft’s expertise in technology and sustainability with McKinsey’s decarbonization planning and execution engine, known as Catalyst Zero.
By automating and scaling the collection of sustainability data, the solution supports the establishment of an emissions baseline.
McKinsey’s Catalyst Zero solution then provides a comprehensive understanding of emissions at various levels, such as company, product, and value chain, enabling leaders to develop detailed decarbonization plans. (Source)
This joint solution leverages a comprehensive set of emission factors and decarbonization strategies across 70+ industry sectors to rapidly quantify baseline emissions, generate a Marginal Abatement Cost Curve, and plan and track granular decarbonization initiatives.
2. Cola-Cola
Coca-Cola operates in over 200 countries, generating $43 billion in revenue and employing approximately 82,500 individuals worldwide. (Source)
With its extensive global presence, the company’s collaboration with McKinsey holds substantial potential for organizational improvement in upskilling managers and frontline team leaders with technology.
To do this, McKinsey created a digital school for Coca-Cola that, in its first year, taught more than 500 people through a combination of intensive boot camps, go-and-see trips, and online learning modules. (Source)
Moreover, they use McKinsey’s 7s model, one of the best-known strategic planning tools. Let’s look at this model that made Coca-Cola the 2nd of McKinsey’s biggest clients.
1. Strategy
Coca-Cola’s corporate strategy encompasses various aspects, such as:
- Portfolio building
- Resource expansion in key markets like China and India
- Leveraging cost strategies
2. Structure
Coca-Cola maintains a hybrid organizational structure, combining centralized and decentralized elements. This structure enables both national decision-making and regional coordination.
3. Systems
Coca-Cola employs process systems to manage activities and set benchmarks for:
- Profitability
- Portfolio
- Partners
- Productivity initiatives
The company also utilizes management systems for daily reviews, reports, and information dissemination.
4. Style
Coca-Cola fosters a forward-looking and collaborative culture, emphasizing solidarity and teamwork. The company promotes employee learning opportunities and encourages engagement in:
- Sustainability
- Community support
- Environmental preservation
5. Staff
Through benchmarked business strategies, Coca-Cola focuses on recruitment, retention, and performance improvement. Financial incentives, including stock ownership, incentivize employees to contribute more and show enthusiasm for the company’s success.
6. Skills
Coca-Cola’s strategic approach includes investment in product innovation, volume growth, and efficiency improvement. The company prioritizes creative approaches to meet changing consumer preferences and market trends.
7. Shared Values
The company’s shared vision centers around revenue growth by producing new beverages aligned with the 6P dream:
- Profit
- People
- Portfolio
- Partners
- Planet
- Productivity
This vision guides the company’s activities and aligns with its core values.
3. USPS (United States Postal Company)
McKinsey & Company is working with the United States Postal Service to generate recommendations that are helpful for the betterment of the organization’s financial situation.
The report produced by McKinsey in 2010 included various proposals to cut costs and increase revenue for USPS.
One of the key recommendations was the reduction of the career workforce and replacing departing career employees with non-career counterparts. (Source)
McKinsey also suggested taking advantage of “natural attrition” to achieve this reduction and highlighted the need for increased use of non-career employees to address the declining mail volume.
In addition to workforce reduction, the consulting firm proposed:
- Reducing or eliminating pricing discounts for nonprofits
- Lifting restrictions on closing post offices
- Reforming price caps imposed on USPS
- Modifying delivery standards and frequency
Furthermore, McKinsey proposed revenue-generating ideas such as:
- Offering promotions to incentivize mail usage
- Expand package services
- Increase the number of products and services at post offices
With these efforts, USPS reported annual revenue of around $21 billion on September 2022 and employed approximately 516,760 individuals. (Source)
4. Best Buy
Best Buy, a leading superstore with reported annual revenue of approximately $46 billion and over 100,000 individuals workforce, partners with the McKinsey Management Accelerator program to become their 4th biggest client. (Source)
This program is part of Best Buy’s commitment to develop and support its workers who recognize as (BIPOC), aiming to empower high-performing managers and establish a diverse workforce.
Georgia Vahoua, Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives, says, “Our primary goal through the cohorts’ participation is to establish a space where everyone feels appreciated and included.” (Source)
The Accelerator program also enhances professional career development by tailoring its curriculum and discussions to unique situations, experiences, and opportunities.
It follows a mini-MBA-style format that covers topics such as strategy development, critical thinking, networking, and problem-solving.
Since the partnership between both firms began, 95 Best Buy workers have completed the program, and more than 140 from various departments participated in the recent cohort from February through June. (Source)
In the end, here is a table that exhibits 4 of McKinsey’s biggest clients ranked through size:
| Company Name | Revenue | Employee Count | Serves in countries |
| Microsoft | $1.91 trillion | 221,000 | 100 |
| Coca-Cola | $43 billion | 82500 | 200 |
| USPS | $21 billion | 516760 | 180 |
| Best Buy | $46 Billion | 100,000 | USA & CA |
Summing Up
In this article, I have provided information about 4 of McKinsey’s biggest clients, ranked through size. These companies span various industries and highlight McKinsey’s diverse consulting engagements, from sustainability initiatives to organizational improvement and talent development.
