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Stefano Zerbi

Senior PartnerMilan

Leads our work around commercial transformation in the Retail Practice in Europe and has vast experience in driving growth via commercial levers for retailers and leading fast-moving-consumer-goods (FMCG) companies

Stefano specializes in helping clients to realize the aspiration of delivering top- and bottom-line impact in a volatile and changing environment, leveraging best-practice approaches across pricing, promotions, assortment, and targeted marketing optimization.

Examples of his recent client work include the following:

  • designing a growth strategy—focusing on strategy and business and commercial models—to transform a top European DIY retailer into a leading omnichannel business
  • conducting multiple multicountry revenue-growth-management and capability-building programs for leading FMCG players
  • transforming the pricing and promotion (mass and personalized) strategy for a large grocery retailer
  • optimizing the assortment of a retailer adopting advanced analytics

Before joining McKinsey, Stefano worked in the industry for five years with multinational organizations, mostly in the consumer-goods sector.

Published work

How to navigate pricing during disinflationary times,” McKinsey & Company, May 2024

Building distinctive European powerhouse brands,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021

Personalizing the customer experience: Driving differentiation in retail,” McKinsey & Company, April 2020

How retailers can improve price perception—profitably,” McKinsey & Company, November 2016

Past Experience

Whirlpool Europe
Product manager

Aermacchi
Project engineer

Education

SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan)
MBA

Polytechnic University of Milan
Degree, aerospace engineering