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Patrick Simon

Senior PartnerBerlin

Patrick Simon

Senior PartnerBerlin

Advises companies across industries on a broad array of topics with a focus on organizational transformation and harmonizing a company’s operating model with its strategy and the market’s requirements

Patrick serves clients on a broad array of topics ranging from strategy to organizational design and transformation across industries. Patrick is also the global leader of our organization design work and has helped numerous companies through multiyear organizational transformations, often focused on bringing operating models back in line with the realities of the markets, strategic shifts, or other success factors.

Examples of Patrick’s recent client projects include the following:

  • designing and delivering an end-to-end organizational-transformation program spanning all functions—including marketing, sales, and operations—for a global packaged goods company, to increase the alignment between a new strategic direction and the underlying operating model
  • developing a new operating model to reduce time to market by 30 percent for an apparel and fashion company by creating a leaner, nimbler, and digitally-enabled organization
  • Crisis or opportunity? How grocers can win the talent war, McKinsey & Company, May 2022
  • enabling an organization to grow globally by migrating from a regional operating model toward a global one, with several billion dollars in sales uplift since implementation
  • creating a digital operating model for an established packaged goods company, including a digitally-enhanced value chain, an adjusted channel mix with a much higher share of online sales and 20 percent private-label e-commerce sales, and digital capability building
  • designing a leaner, more cost-efficient operating model, with a five-percentage-point impact on the bottom line, by refocusing an organization and its resources on its core mission
  • developing a ten year strategy for a global consumer company including a clear roadmap for implementation
  • designing a growth strategy for a global food player in a mature market by revamping the innovation and go-to-market process

Published work

Working nine to thrive,” McKinsey Health Institute, March 2024

Hybrid can be healthy for your organization—when done right,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2024

How to run effective meetings that drive results,” World Economic Forum, September 2023

10 Shifts Making Waves Across Industries,” Rotman Management Magzine, September 2023

All change: The new era of perpetual organizational upheaval,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

Getting a read on the state of organizations,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations, McKinsey & Company, April 2023

Crisis or opportunity? How grocers can win the talent war,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

If we’re all so busy, why isn’t anything getting done?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2022

Kleine Marken, große Chancen”, Akzente 2'21, S. 56/61, Dezember 2021

Klotzen statt Kleckern”, Akzente 2'21, S. 42-49, Dezember 2021

Operating model transformations: Not all elements are created equal,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, September 2021

Tech-enabled SG&A transformation,” McKinsey & Company, September 2021

Weiter so war gestern: Das Zukunftsmodell der Konsumgüterindustrie,” Akzente 1'21, S. 28-37, Juni 2021

Schneller und agiler - das Operating Model von morgen,” Akzente 1'21, S. 46-53, Juni 2021

Wege in die Nachhaltigkeit,” Akzente 1'21, S. 54-59, Juni 2021

Crafting a fit-for-future retail operating model,” McKinsey & Company, May 2021

Organizational effectiveness for sustained performance and health,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2021

A new model for the consumer-goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020

Fitter, flatter, faster: How unstructuring your organization can unlock massive value,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2020

Closing the skills gap in retail with people analytics,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

What got us here won’t get us there: A new model for the consumer goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

Digital transformations – how to get them right,” Caijing magazine, July 2020

Getting your organization ready for a digital transformation,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, June 2020

Completing a transformation in the consumer-goods industry,” McKinsey & Company, March 2020

The importance of tailoring your operating model for the market – part two,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2020

The importance of tailoring your operating model for the market – part one,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, February 2020

Is the consumer-goods industry ready for the new world of work?,” McKinsey & Company, January 2020

Let’s meet offline – Personalisierung in der realen WeltHandelsjournal, December 2019

Erfolg made in Germany - Absatzwirtschaft,” McKinsey & Company, December 2019

For a successful transformation, start by sprinting,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, August 2019

Six governing considerations to modernize marketing,” McKinsey & Company, June 2019

Wie der Wandel Wirklichkeit wird,” Akzente 3'19, S. 58-63, McKinsey & Company, March 2019

The age of speed: How to raise your organization’s metabolism,” blog entry, McKinsey & Company, March 2019

Digital (R)evolution - A Question of Organization,” Akzente 2’18, S. 24–31, McKinsey & Company, October 2018

Measuring the fashion world,” McKinsey & Company, October 2018

Faster fashion: How to shorten the apparel calendar,” McKinsey & Company, May 2018

Reif für ein Upgrade,” Akzente 3’18, S. 38–43, McKinsey & Company, March 2018

Mittelstand: David gegen Goliat,” Akzente 3'17, S. 8-17, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

Mode nach M@ß,” Akzente 3’17, S. 44-49, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

Sprinting toward a new business model,” Akzente 3'17, S. 24-29, McKinsey & Company, December 2017

Auf die Plätze, fertig… Fashion!,” Akzente 2’17, S. 24–29, McKinsey & Company, February 2017

Global agieren, lokal aktivieren,” Akzente 1’15, S. 28–33, McKinsey & Company, January 2015

Erfolgsmodelle für eine geteilte Welt,” Akzente 3’14, S. 34–39, McKinsey & Company, January 2015

Education

Harvard Business School
MBA, general management

University of Kassel
PhD, management science

University of Karlsruhe
MSc, economics, business engineering

University of Massachusetts
MSc, operations research