Dirk is a partner in our Middle East office with more than 20 years of experience at McKinsey. He leads our human capital work in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as well as our cities and regional development work in the region. He is also a former fellow of the McKinsey Global Institute, the world’s top-ranked private-sector think tank, where he led research on the economics of human capital and regional development.
In the field of human capital development, Dirk worked with leading universities, training providers, schools, and systems both in the private and public sectors on a broad range of topics. Those topics included strategy, financial sustainability, improving learning, labor market and research outcomes, technology/AI-driven improvement programs and overall transformation support. He has also supported setting up major new institutions, schools, and offerings, including through major public–private partnerships.
In the field of city and regional development, he has worked with mayors, government agencies, and major infrastructure and real estate developers to improve livability and financial sustainability of regions, cities, and projects. This included large-scale projects to improve city operations, infrastructure, and operating models by leveraging state-of-the-art technology and private-sector involvement.