RODNEY ZEMMEL
EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
B usiness leaders face pressure to integrate AI into their organisations while maintaining growth and managing costs . As companies navigate this transition , McKinsey & Company , the global management consultancy , has undertaken its own transformation through AI adoption .
The integration of generative AI ( Gen AI ) marks a significant change in how businesses operate . While many organisations run pilot projects , fewer have achieved broad implementation of AI across their operations .
In this interview with Technology Magazine , Rodney Zemmel , Global Leader of McKinsey Digital , discusses how organisations can move beyond pilot projects to achieve measurable returns from AI investment .
RODNEY ZEMMEL
TITLE : GLOBAL LEADER MCKINSEY DIGITAL
COMPANY : MCKINSEY & COMPANY INDUSTRY : CONSULTING
Rodney Zemmel is the global leader of McKinsey Digital , overseeing digital transformations across industries . He previously led McKinsey ’ s Healthcare Practice and is a recognised thought leader in digital strategy and AI .
Q . COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT MCKINSEY DIGITAL ?
» I have two main roles . My day job is leading McKinsey Digital , which focuses on three key areas : transforming client organisations through AI , modernising core technology , and building new digital businesses . My night job , as I like to call it , is rewiring McKinsey itself – essentially applying that same AI transformation expertise to our own organisation .
Q . TELL US ABOUT THAT JOURNEY OF REWIRING MCKINSEY ?
» While we ’ ve always been fairly tech-forward , when Gen AI emerged , we recognised it as a once-in-ageneration shift that required immediate action . Initially , we approached it like typical consultants – creating extensive lists of use cases and prioritisation matrices . But then we realised we needed to follow our own “ rewired ” playbook .
We identified key domains where we wanted to drive change , with knowledge management being our top priority for competitive advantage . While we were happy to use off-the-shelf solutions in other areas , for knowledge management we built our own AI agent called Lilli . It ’ s been incredibly successful – more than 85 % of the firm uses it , with the average user engaging 17 times per week , and we ’ ve reached over 8.5 million queries .
Beyond that , we ’ re focusing on three major shifts . First , we ’ re putting technology at the center of all our client service work . Instead of using tools like Excel for pricing analysis , we ’ re building sophisticated pricing tools .
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