A.T. Kearney
Encyclopedia
A.T. Kearney is a global management consulting
firm, focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda concerns. It was founded in 1926, and its head office is in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is regularly ranked among the top 15 in Consulting Magazine's annual ranking of the "Best Firms to Work For."
The firm operated within the United States
since its founding in 1926, until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf
. A.T. Kearney now has 55 offices in 38 countries.
s, consumer and retail, financial institutions, government
, high technology, electronics, pharmaceuticals, health care, energy and Utilities. Major competency teams include supply chain management
, growth strategies, mergers, innovation and complexity, IT strategies, transformation, procurement
and sustainability
.
Americas [12 offices]
Asia Pacific [13 offices]
Europe [26 offices]
Middle East and Africa [5 offices]
s McKinsey & Company
, Bain & Company
, the Boston Consulting Group
, Booz & Company
, L.E.K. Consulting
, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
, and Monitor Group
.
. Andrew Thomas Kearney
joined James O. McKinsey
's firm 3 years after it was founded in 1926. Tom Kearney was McKinsey's first partner and head of its first office in Chicago. At the time, McKinsey & Company was one of the only firms that focused on management consulting for top level executives rather than specialized consulting in areas such as accounting or law.
In 1937 James O. McKinsey
died unexpectedly at the age of 48 due to pneumonia
. While the company continued to operate as before, Tom Kearney and the remaining partners disagreed over how to run the firm. In 1939, the company was split. A.T. Kearney continued to operate the Chicago office, renaming the firm McKinsey and Kearney. Marvin Bower, the head of the New York office, continued the practice in New York and retained the rights to the name McKinsey & Company in all areas other than the Midwest. In 1947, Bower purchased the exclusive rights to the name McKinsey & Company from Tom Kearney, who renamed his firm A.T. Kearney & Associates.
The firm operated within the United States
until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf
.
Important Events during this period are:
, a large technology consulting firm. Prior to the acquisition, several A.T. Kearney partners and consultants, led by Tom Steiner, left the firm to start the Mitchell Madison Group
.
Paul A. Laudicina, A.T. Kearney's Managing Officer and Chairman of the Board, launched the Council and served as its first director. He perceived a need for corporate, government, and academic leaders to come together to discuss and progress thinking on key issues such as globalization, foreign direct investment, and offshoring.
Today, the Council is led by Erik R. Peterson. Erik came to A.T. Kearney in 2010 from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he was senior vice president and held the CSIS William Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis.
From the first CEO retreat in 1992 in Vienna, annual gatherings have been held around the world. The Council also leads ongoing research programs on critical global topics.
The Council offers business leaders three kinds of strategic services:
Management consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
firm, focusing on strategic and operational CEO-agenda concerns. It was founded in 1926, and its head office is in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is regularly ranked among the top 15 in Consulting Magazine's annual ranking of the "Best Firms to Work For."
The firm operated within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since its founding in 1926, until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. A.T. Kearney now has 55 offices in 38 countries.
Practice areas
A.T. Kearney's industry specialties include automotive, communicationTelecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, consumer and retail, financial institutions, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, high technology, electronics, pharmaceuticals, health care, energy and Utilities. Major competency teams include supply chain management
Supply chain management
Supply chain management is the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers...
, growth strategies, mergers, innovation and complexity, IT strategies, transformation, procurement
Procurement
Procurement is the acquisition of goods or services. It is favourable that the goods/services are appropriate and that they are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of quality and quantity, time, and location...
and sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
Offices
Currently, the firm runs 56 offices in 38 countries.Americas [12 offices]
- Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, São Paulo, Toronto, Washington D.C.
Asia Pacific [13 offices]
- Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo.
Europe [26 offices]
- Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul, Kiev, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich.
Middle East and Africa [5 offices]
- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Manama, Riyadh
Competitors
A.T. Kearney's top competitors include white shoe firmWhite shoe firm
White shoe firm is a phrase used to describe the leading professional services firms in the United States, particularly firms that have been in existence for more than a century and represent Fortune 500 companies...
s McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
, Bain & Company
Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a global management consulting firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Bain is considered one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the world, with 47 offices in 30 countries and over 5,500 professionals on staff globally...
, the Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group
The Boston Consulting Group is a global management consulting firm with offices in 42 countries. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world. It is one of only three companies to appear in the top 15 of Fortunes "Best Companies to Work For" report for...
, Booz & Company
Booz & Company
Booz & Company is a global management consulting firm established in the United States in 1914. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world and one of the best consulting firms to work for by Consulting Magazine...
, L.E.K. Consulting
L.E.K. Consulting
L.E.K. Consulting is an international strategy consulting firm, with headquarters in London.Started in 1983 by three partners from Bain & Company, James Lawrence, Iain Evans and Richard Koch, L.E.K. has since grown to over 900 consultants and 20 offices worldwide...
, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm headquartered in Munich, with 43 offices in 31 countries. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in 1967 by Prof. Roland Berger...
, and Monitor Group
Monitor Group
Monitor Group is a global management consulting firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States and with 27 offices in 26 major cities around the world. It provides strategy consultation services to the senior management of organizations and governments...
.
1926–1987
A.T. Kearney began as a branch of McKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
. Andrew Thomas Kearney
Andrew Thomas Kearney
Andrew Thomas Kearney was the founder of A.T. Kearney, one of the world's oldest management consulting firms.Andrew Thomas Kearney joined James O. McKinsey's firm 3 years after it was founded in 1926. Andrew Thomas Kearney was McKinsey's first partner and head of its first office in Chicago...
joined James O. McKinsey
James O. McKinsey
James Oscar McKinsey was the founder of McKinsey & Company.Management theory was still in its infancy when James O. McKinsey founded the firm that bears his name in 1926...
's firm 3 years after it was founded in 1926. Tom Kearney was McKinsey's first partner and head of its first office in Chicago. At the time, McKinsey & Company was one of the only firms that focused on management consulting for top level executives rather than specialized consulting in areas such as accounting or law.
In 1937 James O. McKinsey
James O. McKinsey
James Oscar McKinsey was the founder of McKinsey & Company.Management theory was still in its infancy when James O. McKinsey founded the firm that bears his name in 1926...
died unexpectedly at the age of 48 due to pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. While the company continued to operate as before, Tom Kearney and the remaining partners disagreed over how to run the firm. In 1939, the company was split. A.T. Kearney continued to operate the Chicago office, renaming the firm McKinsey and Kearney. Marvin Bower, the head of the New York office, continued the practice in New York and retained the rights to the name McKinsey & Company in all areas other than the Midwest. In 1947, Bower purchased the exclusive rights to the name McKinsey & Company from Tom Kearney, who renamed his firm A.T. Kearney & Associates.
The firm operated within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
until 1964 when it opened its first international office in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.
Important Events during this period are:
- 1926 – McKinsey is established
- 1929 – Andrew Thomas Kearney joins McKinsey
- 1935 – Tom Kearney becomes managing partner
- 1939 – The firm splits in two: McKinsey & Co. moves to New York and Boston, and McKinsey, Kearney & Co. remains in Chicago
- 1945 – Tom Kearney asked by President Franklin Roosevelt to head mission to help the Chinese improve their defense readiness efforts. Kearney received a U.S. Medal of Freedom and a Victory Medal from the Chinese government
- 1946 – Firm adopts the name A.T. Kearney & Company
- 1962 – Tom Kearney dies January 11
- 1963 – A.T. Kearney & Company, Inc., incorporated in April; A.T. Kearney International, Inc., incorporated in July as a subsidiary
- 1964 – A.T. Kearney, G.m.b.H., established as first non-U.S. office in Düsseldorf, led by Art Kelly
- 1968 – Expansion continues with offices opened in San Francisco, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - 1972 – Firm’s name changed to A.T. Kearney, Inc.; First Asian office opens in Tokyo
- 1980 – Offices open in Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Atlanta,Boston and Dallas
- 1985 – A.T. Kearney begins consulting work in China
- 1986 – Joint ventures in China, Taiwan and Tunisia signed
1987–1994
- 1988 – Biggest expansion in the history of the firm peaks with 20 of 26 offices enlarged, relocated or opened since late 1985; Offices open in Madrid and Munich
- 1988 - Named fifth-largest broad-based multidisciplined management consultancy in the United States; Firm surpasses $100 million in revenue
- 1989 – A.T. Kearney’s operation in West Germany celebrates 25th anniversary
- 1989 - A.T. Kearney staff worldwide reaches 1,000 employees
- 1990 – Office opens in Singapore
- 1991 – Berlin office opens
- 1992 – Three Nordic offices acquired in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm; Offices open in Hong Kong and Prague
- 1992 - Global Business Policy Council formed to provide a global strategic forum for corporate executives and policy leaders; New world headquarters completed in Chicago
- 1993 – Firm marks 10th straight year of double-digit growth
- 1994 – Wins two five-year contracts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, largest in firm’s history
- 1994 - Offices open in Helsinki, Mexico City, São Paulo, Sydney,Melbourne and Silicon Valley
1995–2005
In 1995, A. T. Kearney was acquired by EDSElectronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
, a large technology consulting firm. Prior to the acquisition, several A.T. Kearney partners and consultants, led by Tom Steiner, left the firm to start the Mitchell Madison Group
Mitchell Madison Group
The Mitchell Madison Group is a global management consulting firm that focuses on improving financial and operating performance for major corporations. Originally founded in 1994 and re-founded in 2003, it is today widely recognized as a leader in the areas of Strategic Sourcing and globalization...
.
- 1995 – A.T. Kearney hires its 2,000th employee
- 1995 - A.T. Kearney becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of EDS in September, nearly doubling in size and vastly expanding its industry expertise and information technology capabilities
- 1995 - Offices open in Beijing, Warsaw and Seoul
- 1996 – Moscow office expansion makes A.T. Kearney the multinational consultancy with the largest on-site capability in Russia
- 1996 - Offices open in Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon and Rome
- 1997 – First Global Prize, an annual business school case study competition for potential recruits, awarded
- 1997 - Offices open in New Delhi, Shanghai and Jakarta; Revenues top $1 billion
- 1998 – Premiere issue of Executive Agenda, the firm’s thought-leadership journal, published; offices open in Vienna and Frankfurt
- 2000 - Dietmar Ostermann named chief executive officer
- 2003 – Winning the Merger Endgame, by Fritz Kroeger and Graeme Deans, selected by Executive Book Summaries as one of the best business books of 2003
- 2004 – Consulting Magazine names Fritz Kroeger to its list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2005 – A.T. Kearney officers elect a new board of directors
- 2005 - Paul A. Laudicina, director of A.T. Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council, named to Consulting Magazine’s list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2005 - World Out of Balance, by Laudicina, selected by Executive Book Summaries as one of the best business books of 2005
Since 2006
In 2005, EDS CEO, Michael Jordan, confirmed rumors that EDS was seeking to sell A.T. Kearney back to its management team. The transaction was completed in January 2006. More than 170 A.T. Kearney officers from 26 countries participated in the transaction as investors (90% of those invited to participate did so).- 2006 – A.T. Kearney completes management buyout from EDS and becomes an independent, privately owned firm
- 2006 - A.T. Kearney celebrates its 80th anniversary
- 2006 – Officers elect Paul Laudicina as managing officer and chairman of the board
- 2006 – A.T. Kearney South Korea LLC becomes largest consulting presence in the country
- 2006 – Offices open in Dubai and Ljubljana
- 2007 – Office opens in Bucharest
- 2007 - Paul Laudicina, manageing officer and CEO, is named to Consulting Magazine's list of Top 25 Most Influentical Consultants
- 2008 - Daniel Mahler, partner from the New York office, named to Consulting Magazine’s list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2009 - Vance Scott, partner from the Chicago office, named to Consulting Magazine’s list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2010 - A.T. Kearney becomes carbon neutral across its global consulting operations, achieving a 2007 pledge to be carbon neutral by 2010.
- 2010 - Hana Ben-Shabat, a NY-based partner, named to Consulting Magazine's list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2011 - Laura Gurski, partner from the Chicago office, named to Consulting Magazine's list of Top 25 Most Influential Consultants
- 2011 - Office opens in Istanbul
Global Business Policy Council
The Global Business Policy Council was established as a strategic service specifically for the world's top CEOs and business-minded thought leaders.Paul A. Laudicina, A.T. Kearney's Managing Officer and Chairman of the Board, launched the Council and served as its first director. He perceived a need for corporate, government, and academic leaders to come together to discuss and progress thinking on key issues such as globalization, foreign direct investment, and offshoring.
Today, the Council is led by Erik R. Peterson. Erik came to A.T. Kearney in 2010 from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he was senior vice president and held the CSIS William Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis.
From the first CEO retreat in 1992 in Vienna, annual gatherings have been held around the world. The Council also leads ongoing research programs on critical global topics.
The Council offers business leaders three kinds of strategic services:
- World class meetings that attract unparalleled expertise and insight
- Insights from intellectual capital that helps leaders calibrate and plan for the future
- Customized strategic advisory services that pinpoint critical issues
Notable current and former employees
- Uwe Krüger - Chief Executive Officer, Atkins plc
- Kenneth L. Block - Former President and Chairman 1969-1974. A.T. Kearney
- Ricardo Dalmas - Director, Corporate Strategy & Development, PepsiCoPepsiCoPepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
- Matthew Wolk - Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Strategy Officer, Multi-Fineline Electronix (MFLEX)
- Matthew Le MerleMatthew Le MerleMatthew Le Merle is a Partner at Booz & Company, a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world's top businesses, governments, and other institutions....
- Chairman of the Advisory Board, Shanshan Group and Yurun Group, two of China's largest companies - Martin Cannon - President and CEO, New Health Sciences
- Steven Berger - Senior Vice-President, Human Resources and Transformation, ViterraViterraViterra Inc. is a leading global agri-business with extensive operations in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. With a growing international presence that includes trading and marketing offices on four continents, Viterra delivers high quality nutritious food ingredients to more...
- Vitali Podolski - CFO, X5 Group
- Omer Abdullah - Managing Director, The Smart Cube
- Jeanne-Mey Sun - Vice President (Strategy), SYSCO Corporation
- Alison Davis - Board Director of Royal Bank of Scotland and Unisys - Former CFO Barclays Global Investors
- Ken Quaglio - President, Command Information’s Commercial Division
- Dan Reed - President, NBA Development LeagueNBA Development LeagueThe NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
D-League - Antoine RostandAntoine Rostand-Biography:A graduate of École Polytechnique and INSEAD, Rostand started his career with Schlumberger over 23 years ago as a wireline field engineer. He now serves as president of Schlumberger Business Consulting and has led SBC since its formation in 2004, playing a key role in the...
- President, Schlumberger Business Consulting - Paul Laudicina - Managing Officer and Chairman, A.T. Kearney
- Mike Tower - Managing Director, North America, A.T. Kearney
- Mike Moriarty - Consumer Industries and Retail, North America, Europe, Globally
- John Yoshimura - Global Chief Operating Officer, A.T. Kearney
- Joe Raudabaugh - President, Co-Founder, A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions, Inc.
- Guy Primus - COO, Overbrook EntertainmentOverbrook EntertainmentOverbrook Entertainment is an American entertainment company based in Beverly Hills, California, USA. The production company was started by Will Smith between 1997 and 1999, about the same time the production for Wild Wild West was underway....
- Prasad Hedge - Director, Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Adviser, AlixPartners
- Jeff Forman - Director, Enterprise Improvement, AlixPartners
- Philippe Meyersohn - General Manager - Brand, Mabe
- Douglas Shulman - Commissioner of the Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue ServiceThe Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...