This is a profile image of Erik Schaefer

Erik Schaefer

PartnerToronto

Focuses on rapidly and sustainably delivering radical performance and health improvements for heavy industrial assets, with an emphasis on metals and mining

Erik is a leader in RTS in Canada. In this capacity, he advises clients and – where necessary – assumes interim senior management roles to deliver rapid performance and organizational health improvements for large-scale, heavy industrial assets.

Erik’s primary focus is metals and mining, but he has also led numerous transformations in other sectors, including pulp and paper, chemicals, and oil and gas, across functions spanning manufacturing, sales and marketing, organization, and purchasing. He recently spent 2 years in Asia Pacific as the Chief Transformation Officer leading the turnaround of one of the world’s largest precious metals mines.

Erik first joined the firm in 2004 and has also worked in the Montreal and Sydney offices, as well as for clients on every continent save Antarctica. He is fluent in German and French and speaks conversational Spanish.

Published work

Breaking operational barriers to peak productivity,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024

Struggling to find skilled workers? Three ways tech can help,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, May 2024

Tradespeople wanted: The need for critical trade skills in the US,” McKinsey & Company, April 2024

Today’s good to great: Next-generation operational excellence,” McKinsey & Company, January 2024

PAST EXPERIENCE

Sulzer ChemTech
Process design and technical sales engineer

EDUCATION

Harvard Business School
MBA

University of Waterloo
BSc, chemical engineering