Charag is a partner in McKinsey’s education work. He helps higher education institutions change their trajectory through holistic performance transformations and M&A. He also works with clients on implementing workforce-development programs. His expertise includes strategies for improving enrollment, student success and retention, online learning, auxiliary revenues, and organizational capability building.
Charag has supported performance turnarounds of multiple institutions including a flagship state university and several mid-size liberal arts universities, helping these organizations identify areas of revenue growth through increased retention and enrollment rates as well as new academic offerings alongside cost optimization. He also led the performance diagnostics for two top-20 US universities to help inform their long-term growth strategy and has supported institutions on M&A diligence efforts. In India, Charag supported the rollout and scale of Generation, an independent nonprofit founded by McKinsey to help to address the global issue of youth unemployment.
Prior to joining McKinsey in 2014, Charag worked as a UNICEF Innovation Unit Fellow, and was part of the founding cohort of the Teach for India Fellowship, where he served as a primary school teacher for grades two and three at a low-income municipal school. He also previously led corporate social-responsibility projects with school districts for a large state-owned petroleum company.