Lola Woetzel

Based in China since 1985, Dr. Lola Woetzel has been instrumental in building McKinsey's China office. In addition to her work helping Chinese and other Asian businesses prepare for global growth, she is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey's business and economics research arm. She also leads McKinsey's Cities Special Initiative and is responsible for convening McKinsey's work with city, regional, and national authorities in more than 40 geographies around the world. Lola’s research spans global, Asia-Pacific, North America, and China-focused trends. She has led numerous research efforts, including on productivity; sustainable and inclusive growth; economic development and urbanization; real estate, affordable housing, and infrastructure; climate risk and the net-zero transition; and e-commerce and the economic impact of the Internet. Lola’s public sector work is extensive. She has advised national governments in Asia on improving the environment for foreign investors, national energy policy, and economic development strategies. She also leads work with local government authorities on economic development and transformation. This includes working in real estate—specifically, on commercial revitalization and affordable housing—and advising on energy and infrastructure investment strategies, among other issues. Lola works in the private sector as well, most often on issues related to corporate strategy, operations, and organization. She has served clients in industries such as energy, metals and mining, health care, telecommunications, and transportation. Lola actively participates in a number of international forums. She lectures at the Guanghua School of Business and the China-Europe International Business School and is also an honorary lecturer at Jiaotong University's Antai Business School. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Published widely in both Chinese and international publications, she has written five books on China, including Capitalist China: Strategies for a Revolutionized Economy (Wiley & Sons, 2003), Operation China: From Strategy to Execution (Harvard Business Press, 2007), and One Hour China (Towson Press, 2013). She has also coauthored, with Richard Dobbs and James Manyika, No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Global Forces Breaking All the Trends (Public Affairs, May 2015). A US citizen, Lola is proficient in German, Mandarin, and Spanish.