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Roger Roberts

Expert PartnerSão Francisco

Roger Roberts

Expert PartnerSão Francisco

Advises clients in a broad range of industries as they address their toughest technology challenges—and make the most of emerging opportunities

Roger helps clients conceive and apply technology solutions to enhance innovation and productivity. He helped found our IT practice (the Business Technology Office) on the West Coast in 1998 and serves clients primarily in the retail, consumer, and technology sectors.

With more than two decades with McKinsey, Roger has helped clients adapt to technology-based disruptions. With extensive experience in enterprise IT architecture, he advises on value-creating technology strategies across a range of industries. Increasingly, his work is focused on digital customer and employee engagement as well as application of advanced analytics to new business problems and opportunities. He also advises technology providers—eCommerce, online services, and software companies—drawing on a strong understanding of software architecture and cloud platforms.

Roger contributes actively to McKinsey’s research and publication on the role of technology in the economy, frequently leading collaborations with academic researchers. He serves as the chair of the global editorial board for McKinsey on Business Technology, our publication for chief information officers and other technology leaders. He has also served on the board of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Digital Business, a research partnership between scholars and industry practitioners. Roger lives in Palo Alto and is an active member of its vibrant technology community.

Published work

Responsible AI: A business imperative for telcos,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024

Fortune or fiction? The real value of a digital and AI transformation in CPG,” McKinsey & Company, October 2024

A look at the technology trends that matter most,” McKinsey & Company, September 2024

Why agents are the next frontier of generative AI,” McKinsey Quarterly, July 2024

McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024, McKinsey & Company, July 2024

AI for social good: Improving lives and protecting the planet, McKinsey & Company, May 2024

Digital commerce: A growth opportunity for Greece, McKinsey & Company, February 2024

Beyond ‘quiet luxury’: Brunello Cucinelli’s billion-dollar growth formula,” McKinsey & Company, October 2023

Turning consumer and retail companies into software-driven innovators,” McKinsey & Company, September 2023

“McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2023,” McKinsey & Company, July 2023

The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

What every CEO should know about generative AI,” McKinsey & Company, May 2023

Generative AI: Unlocking the future of fashion,” McKinsey & Company, March 2023

Generative AI is here: How tools like ChatGPT could change your business,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2022,” McKinsey & Company, August 2022

State of Fashion Technology Report 2022,” McKinsey & Company, May 2022

Breaking the code: Unlocking digital and analytics at scale for consumer goods,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Applying artificial intelligence for social good,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2018

Organizing for digital acceleration: Making a two-speed IT operating model work,” McKinsey & Company, October 2015

How technology can drive the next wave of mass customization,” McKinsey & Company, January 2014

Ten IT-enabled business trends for the decade ahead,” McKinsey Global Institute, November 2013

Winning with IT in consumer packaged goods: Seven trends transforming the role of the CIO,” McKinsey & Company, March 2013

IT as revenue generator: McKinsey Global Survey results,” McKinsey & Company, March 2013

Reshaping IT management for turbulent times,” McKinsey & Company, December 2010

The Internet of Things,” McKinsey Quarterly, March 2010

Past Experience

Boston Consulting Group
Associate

ABB Asea Brown Boveri
Strategy & Planning

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management
SM, Management

Stanford University
MS, BS, industrial engineering