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Daniel Pacthod

Senior PartnerNew York

Heads the firm’s global initiative to develop future senior McKinsey and client leaders; serves diverse clients in technology, defense, industrials, energy, and private capital

Daniel is part of the firm’s extended operating team and drives a global initiative to develop future senior leaders at McKinsey and within our clients’ organizations and invest more deeply in the art of 21st-century leadership. Aligned with McKinsey’s work on fostering CEO excellence, this unique initiative builds the leadership capabilities of McKinsey’s most senior members and supports their journeys as they counsel our clients, lead our teams, and build our firm. For our clients, it brings our latest approaches and experiences to build higher performing leaders and leadership teams to thrive in the 21st century.

This work deepens the firm’s commitment to an idea first sparked by the late Ron Daniel, a former managing partner of McKinsey, of our firm as a “leadership factory”: a place that develops exceptional people into not only firm partners, but C-level leaders, founders, nonprofit executives, and more. Daniel is committed to taking this vision to the next level, investing in the frontier of 21st-century leadership—a time when leaders must navigate multiple challenges and competing stakeholder demands across a fragmenting global landscape.

Daniel also serves a wide range of global institutions across the technology, defense, industrial, energy, and private capital sectors, where he focuses on strategy, operations, organization, technological innovation, leadership development, and advancing the energy transition. His work is driven by a desire to help leadership teams and organizations raise their ambitions, accelerate their performance, and build high-performing executive teams.

For the last 15 years, Daniel has built and scaled new firm capabilities. Most recently, he co-founded and scaled McKinsey Sustainability, which helps accelerate decarbonization efforts in the toughest sectors, scale innovative green ventures, and deploy substantial investments so that organizations can make rapid strides toward their climate commitments. He also launched McKinsey New Ventures, which incubated new digital assets and capabilities such as Periscope and Wave. In addition, he founded and co-led the firm’s North America Aerospace & Defense Practice.

Daniel has been a member of McKinsey’s global board for the last ten years, including creating and chairing the firm’s Technology and Knowledge Committee. He leads the firm’s partnership with the World Economic Forum and convenes the McKinsey Advisory Council, a group of 15 CEOs.

Passionate about helping not-for-profit institutions, Daniel serves on the Board of Trustees of Rockefeller University and the Advisory Board of the Hospital for Special Surgery, both in New York.

Published work

The art of 21st-century leadership: From succession planning to building a leadership factory,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024

The hard stuff: Navigating the physical realities of the energy transition, McKinsey Global Institute, August 2024

Strengthening fraying ties: The Global Cooperation Barometer 2024,” McKinsey Quarterly, February 2024

Climate Transition Impact Framework: Essential elements for an equitable and inclusive transition,” McKinsey & Company, December 2023

An affordable, reliable, competitive path to net zero, McKinsey & Company, November 2023

The role of public–private–philanthropic partnerships in driving climate and nature transitions, McKinsey & Company, November 2023

A sector progress tracker for the net-zero transition,” McKinsey & Company, November 2023

Full throttle on net zero: Creating value in the face of uncertainty,” McKinsey & Company, September 2023

Yes, nuclear can help answer the climate and energy security challenge,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023

The circular cement value chain: Sustainable and profitable,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023

Why Davos matters more than ever,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

The energy transition: A region-by-region agenda for near-term action,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

A devilish duality: How CEOs can square resilience with net-zero promises,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2022

Green Growth: Capturing Asia’s $5 trillion green business opportunity,” McKinsey & Company, September 2022

The role of space in driving sustainability, security, and development on Earth,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022

COP26 made net zero a core principle for business. Here’s how leaders can act,” McKinsey & Company, November 2021

Solving the net-zero equation: Nine requirements for a more orderly transition,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Reenergizing an exhausted organization: A conversation with Admiral John Richardson,” McKinsey Quarterly, December 2020

Unleashing sustainable speed in a post-COVID world: Reshape talent,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2020

Unleashing sustainable speed in a post-COVID world: Reimagine structure,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2020

As you return from the summer break, can you lead toward a COVID-Exit?,” McKinsey & Company, September 2020

Unleashing sustainable speed in a post-COVID world: Rethink ways of working,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2020

To lead in the postcrisis tomorrow, put leadership and capabilities in place today,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

Ready, set, go: Reinventing the organization for speed in the post-COVID-19 era,” McKinsey & Company, June 2020 

Past experience

Schneider Electric
Strategy director

Education

HEC Paris
MBA