Ian Davis (businessman)
English businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Ian Edward Lamert Davis Kt (born 10 March 1951) is a British businessman. He served as chairman and Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey & Company from 2003 to 2009 and as Chairman of Rolls-Royce Holdings from 2013 to 2021. He currently serves as Chairman of Thoughtworks and holds several non-executive directorships.[1]
10 March 1951
Chairman of Rolls-Royce Holdings (2013–2021)
Sir Ian Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ian Edward Lamert Davis 10 March 1951 Kent, England |
| Education | Balliol College, Oxford (BA, MA) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Chairman and Managing Director of McKinsey & Company (2003–2009) Chairman of Rolls-Royce Holdings (2013–2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Crispin Davis (brother) Nigel Davis (twin brother) |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (2019) |
Early life and education
Davis was born on 10 March 1951 in Kent, England.[2] He is the twin brother of Sir Nigel Davis, a Court of Appeal judge, and the brother of Sir Crispin Davis, former chairman of Reed Elsevier.[3]
Davis studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where he earned his undergraduate and master's degrees.[4]
Career
Early career
After graduating from Oxford, Davis worked for seven years at Bowater, a British pulp and paper company, before joining McKinsey & Company in 1979.[2]
McKinsey & Company
Davis spent over 30 years at McKinsey & Company, serving as a consultant to organizations across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.[4] From 1996 to 2003, he was Managing Partner of McKinsey's practice in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[2] During this period, he had oversight responsibility for McKinsey clients and services in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with particular expertise in the consumer products and retail industries.[4]
In 2003, Davis was elected chairman and Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey & Company, succeeding Rajat Gupta on 1 July 2003.[5] He served in this position until 2009, leading the firm's global operations during a period of significant expansion.[6] Davis retired from McKinsey in 2010 and became Senior Partner Emeritus, a role he continues to hold.[2]
Between 2001 and 2003, he took a leave of absence from McKinsey to serve as Senior Research Director for Natural Product Discovery at Diversa Corporation (now part of BASF) in San Diego, California.[7]
Non-executive directorships
Rolls-Royce Holdings
Davis joined the board of Rolls-Royce Holdings as a non-executive director on 1 March 2013 and succeeded Sir Simon Robertson as chairman on 2 May 2013 at the company's Annual General Meeting.[8] He served as chairman until October 2021, leading the board during a period of significant challenges including restructuring efforts and the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the aviation industry.[1]
BP
Davis joined the board of BP as a non-executive director on 2 April 2010.[2] He served as Senior Independent Director (Lead Director) from approximately 2014 to December 2020.[1] In 2017, as Senior Independent Director, Davis led the process to identify and appoint BP's next chairman following Carl-Henric Svanberg's announcement of his retirement.[9]
Johnson & Johnson
In July 2010, Davis was appointed to the board of directors of Johnson & Johnson, where he served as an independent non-executive director until March 2023.[4][1]
Other positions
Davis has served as Chairman of Thoughtworks since June 2021.[1] He is a non-executive director of Majid Al Futtaim Group and serves as a senior adviser to Apax Partners and Mubadala Investment Company.[1]
Davis served as a non-executive member of the Cabinet Office Board, including as Lead Non-Executive Board Member from 2015 to 2016.[10] He is a non-executive director of Teach For All, a global network of educational organizations.[5]
Other activities
Davis has been involved with various academic and policy organizations. He served as an Advisory Director of King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre and was a member of the President's Council at the University of Tokyo.[4] He is a member of the Chancellor's Court at the University of Oxford and has been affiliated with Chatham House as a Senior Adviser.[11]
Honours
Davis was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to business.[12]
Personal life
Davis married in 1978 and has two children.[citation needed]
Selected board positions
Current
- Chairman, Thoughtworks (2021–present)[1]
- Non-Executive Director, Majid Al Futtaim Group[1]
- Senior Adviser, Apax Partners[6]
- Senior Adviser, Mubadala Investment Company[1]
- Non-Executive Director, Teach For All[5]
- Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company[2]
Former
- Chairman, Rolls-Royce Holdings (2013–2021)[1]
- Non-Executive Director, Johnson & Johnson (2010–2023)[1]
- Non-Executive Director, BP (2010–2020)[1]
- Lead Non-Executive Board Member, Cabinet Office (2015–2016)[10]
- Chairman and Worldwide Managing Director, McKinsey & Company (2003–2009)[5]