Lola Woetzel is a Senior Partner of McKinsey & Co., based in China since 1986 and the co-founder of its China practice. Also, as a Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, she leads research on productivity, urbanization, infrastructure, inequality, and regional economies.
As an expert on energy, sustainability, and economic development, Lola advises national and local governments in Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas on improving the foreign investment environment, energy policy, and economic master planning and execution. She works in the private sector as well, serving clients most often on topics related to corporate strategy, operations, and organization. She has led McKinsey’s client service to the world’s largest mining corporation, to the most valuable technology conglomerate in China, and for the largest Chinese securitization at its time on the NYSE. She also has extensive experience in real estate, particularly in affordable housing, commercial revitalization, greenfield mega-project development, property technology and sustainable energy investment.
Lola holds a B.A., M.A,. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and actively participates in international forums including the World Economic Forum and the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. She is a recipient of the Silver Magnolia Award from the Shanghai City Government and of Consulting Magazine’s 50 Most Influential Consultants award. She has guest lectured at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Business, Tsinghua University’s Schwarzman College, and the China-Europe International Business School since 2008. She is a member of the Board of Project Drawdown and Delterra, and an Advisor to the Tianjin Juilliard School. She is fluent in Mandarin, Spanish, and German and has written five books, including Capitalist China: Strategies for a Revolutionized Economy (Wiley); Operation China (Harvard Business); and No Ordinary Disruption (Public Affairs).