Lieven is a senior partner and the global leader of QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, where he leads a global team of technologists across more than 15 locations. Trained as both a physician and a neuroscientist, he brings a scientist’s grounding to how the firm builds AI technology, forms technology partnerships, and translates advanced methods into high-quality impact for clients worldwide.
He has extensive experience in designing and executing ambitious change journeys, with a focus on pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as public health institutions. For close to two decades, he has led McKinsey’s technology and AI work across the life-sciences value chain, building the firm’s global team supporting pharmaceutical and biotech R&D organizations.
Lieven has helped some of the world’s most preeminent scientific and public health institutions put AI and data to work while fundamentally changing how teams operate, innovate, and collaborate. He has also applied that thinking outside the lab, advising Team Visma | Lease a Bike on turning race data into tactical insight.
Before joining McKinsey, Lieven qualified as a medical doctor at the Catholic University of Leuven and went on to complete an MSc and MPhil in neuroscience at Columbia University. He also worked as a fellow in Columbia’s technology transfer office, evaluating and commercializing early-stage research, and as an intern with the Belgian Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lieven works with clients across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa, and is based in France. He is a frequent keynote speaker at major global gatherings on scaling AI, addressing gender bias in AI, innovation, and the future of work.
