Kearney elects Bob Willen as managing partner and chairman

Kearney, a Chicago-headquartered management consulting firm, has elected Bob Willen as its tenth managing partner.

Willen, who has been with the firm since 1995, succeeds Alex Liu, who has led Kearney since 2018 and just completed his second term. Under Liu’s tenure, the firm registered consistent double-digit annual growth and made six acquisitions: Cervello, Prokura, Optano, Teams Design, Silicon Foundry, and MSE. Kearney also made significant investments in digital and analytics capabilities.

The firm also rebranded from A.T. Kearney to Kearney.

Willen will be tasked with continuing the firm’s growth trajectory and agenda.

A Kearney partner since 2003, Willen has over 25 years of consulting experience leading strategic and organizational transformations for commercial and government clients. Since 2015, he led the firm’s Middle East and Africa region, and before that led the global aerospace and defense, automotive, transportation, and infrastructure practices.

Before entering consulting, Willen was an aerospace engineer at General Dynamics Space Systems.

He has an MBA from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Virginia.

“Having lived and worked on three continents, I understand the challenges our clients are facing around the globe and have seen firsthand how Kearney can be the difference through our relentless focus on results and innovation,” Willen said. “I am proud to be elected Kearney's managing partner to build on our positive momentum over the past five years and to continue delivering impact and value for our clients."

Founded in 1926, Kearney has more than 4,200 people in 40+ countries providing a wide range of consulting services to clients across industries.