This is a profile image of Cristina Catania

Cristina Catania

Senior PartnerMilan

Coleads the Risk & Resilience Practice, advising financial institutions on strategy, transformation, sustainability, social and governance transformation.

Cristina is the global co-convener and European lead for the Risk & Resilience Practice.

Previously she was the co-convener of McKinsey’s work in wealth and asset management in Europe and the head of sustainability work in the banking sector. She was also a core leader of the Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Cristina focuses on serving financial institutions throughout Europe across a broad range of services with an emphasis on large transformations in banking and a spike in asset and wealth management, mainly on strategy and finance topics, she also has a passion for sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transformation.

Examples of Cristina’s recent experience include the following:

  • designing the ESG transformation strategy of a leading European banking group
  • defining the ESG scoring assessment for a corporate bank
  • supporting the post-merger integration and international growth strategy between two European wealth management companies
  • three-year strategic plan of a digital wealth manager
  • integration of the sustainable investing principles for a leading asset manager
  • design and implementation of an innovative value-based budgeting approach and reporting system for two large European banks
  • industrial plan and coordination of the IPO process for a leading private bank
  • multiple strategic due diligences and M&A scouting for leading private equity funds and international banks, including a wide range of wealth management and financial services targets

Cristina rejoined McKinsey in 2015 after a two-year experience as head of CEO staff and executive assistant to the CEO in a large banking group. She first joined McKinsey in 2005 after a period of academic research and an experience in a major investing and wealth management organization. She holds a MSc in economics and a degree in economics and econometrics from Bocconi University, both Summa cum Laude (top one percent of the class).

Published work

Faster, smarter, bolder: How midtenure CFOs shift into a higher gear,” McKinsey & Company, May 2024

European private banking: Resilient models for uncertain times,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

After a strong 2021, European private banking faces headwinds,” McKinsey & Company, July 2022

Wake up and see the women: Wealth management’s underserved segment,” McKinsey & Company, June 2022

Past experience

Intensa Sanpaolo
Head of CEO staff

Education

Bocconi University
MSc, economics