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Ben Mathews

Senior PartnerOhio - Cleveland

Leads restaurants and food service globally and oversees the firm’s product development and procurement efforts

Ben is a senior partner and leader in McKinsey’s Cleveland office. He has been with McKinsey for nearly 25 years and currently leads our restaurants and food service sector globally, in addition to overseeing our product development and procurement efforts. Ben has deep knowledge in leading strategy and performance transformations in retailers and industrials.

Ben is passionate about driving large-scale impact and industry disruption. Regardless of topic and client, Ben draws the most satisfaction from helping clients build new capabilities to achieve and sustain higher performance.

Recent examples of Ben’s work include the following:

  • conducting a holistic performance improvement transformation, covering all operations, for an iconic quick-service restaurant)
  • designing an effective ten-year growth plan to disrupt the industry and outpace the market for a luxury retailer
  • designing and implementing a loyalty program grounded in world-class customer experience for a luxury retailer
  • orchestrating a merger integration between two global leaders in consumer-packaged goods
  • devising a five-year growth strategy for a private-equity-owned home goods retailer, building a detailed plan to grow the top line by twofold and the bottom line by threefold; self-funded
  • constructing a margin expansion program spanning category management transformation, customer-level pricing, and supply chain redesign for a national industrial distributor
  • collaborating with several leading orchestras and art museums to research and identify drivers of performance and impact on the communities each serves
  • developing the digital strategy for one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world

Ben has spent his time at McKinsey in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and South Korea. He has a deep interest in pro bono work and a real passion for the Cleveland Orchestra, Business Volunteers Unlimited, and Ohio’s economic development. He graduated from Miami (Ohio) with degrees in economics and decision science.

Published Work

The art of data: Empowering art institutions with data and analytics,McKinsey Quarterly, May 2023

Seeing the savings: Toward transparent management of portfolio companies,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

Past Experience

Schneider Electric
Chief procurement officer
Vice president, supply chain

Kearney
Business analyst, economic and strategic services

Federal Reserve Bank Richmond
Economic research intern

Education

Miami University Farmer School of Business
BS, economics and decision sciences