The international consulting firm McKinsey & Company plans to increase its activities in Central Asia, with a particular focus on business development in Uzbekistan.
As part of this initiative, the company's Global Managing Partner, Bob Sternfels, visited Tashkent. Since 2013, McKinsey has been collaborating with public, private, and civil organizations across Central Asia.
During this period, the company has formed a regional team that combines deep knowledge of local markets with McKinsey's international experience spanning over 65 countries worldwide.
Discussion of Uzbekistan's Development Prospects
During his visit, Sternfels and regional leaders held meetings with representatives of the government, the business community, clients, and employees. They discussed Uzbekistan's development prospects, including opportunities in the energy, mining, financial services, and digital infrastructure sectors. Special attention was paid to training qualified specialists.
Sternfels noted that Uzbekistan is among the economies undergoing the most extensive transformations. He emphasized the company's interest in further expanding operations in the country, strengthening the local team, and nurturing future McKinsey leaders in Tashkent.
New Leadership and Partners
The responsibility for leading McKinsey's operations in Uzbekistan has been entrusted to Senior Partner Semen Yakovlev. Based in Tashkent, he will oversee strategic business development and the execution of client projects.
Yakovlev has over twenty years of experience working in South Korea, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Before his appointment, he headed the Asia Strategy and Corporate Finance practice at McKinsey.
Partners Dulatbek Ikbaev and Ermolai Solzhenitsyn will also participate in the company's business development in Uzbekistan. Ikbaev has consulted state bodies, financial institutions, and large enterprises in Central Asia for over ten years on socio-economic development and transformation issues.
Solzhenitsyn, a Senior Partner at McKinsey, has over 20 years of experience implementing strategy and transformation projects in the metallurgical, mining, energy, and transport industries.
Priorities and Training Programs
Yakovlev stated that the company intends to focus, in particular, on the professional growth of young specialists and continuing work with leading Uzbek companies. He added that the country's growing young population presents additional opportunities for social and economic progress.
Advanced technologies and artificial intelligence are priorities for McKinsey in Uzbekistan. The company plans to utilize the expertise of its QuantumBlack division, which is McKinsey's AI focus area, in this field.
Another emphasis will be placed on enhancing professional skills in response to changing labor market demands. Specifically, the company plans to continue implementing its global educational program, Forward.
According to McKinsey, this program has been completed by over 1,500 young specialists from Central Asia and approximately 290,000 people worldwide. Participants acquire practical skills demanded by the modern labor market.
