Erwann Michel-Kerjan

Erwann Michel-Kerjan is a French-American dual citizen known for his expertise in innovation, resilience, and financial protection solutions for large-scale risks. He is currently a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he is a global leader for risk in insurance. His work focuses on defining and executing value creation strategies for clients, addressing topics such as transformation, risk management, organizational effectiveness, and decision sciences. Michel-Kerjan’s academic background includes studies at Ecole Polytechnique, McGill University, and Harvard. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in decision making and risk management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a PhD in economics from GREQAM and École Polytechnique.

Throughout his career, Erwann Michel-Kerjan has advised numerous corporations, private foundations, and heads of government. From 2013 to 2017, he served as the Executive Director at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, overseeing the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center. He also held the position of Chairman of the OECD Secretary-General’s Board on Financial Management of Catastrophes from 2008 to 2017. A founding member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, he was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum from 2007 to 2012 and has been a regular speaker at Davos. His contributions extend to advising organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations, and the World Bank. His published work includes 8 books and over 100 publications, which are frequently featured in prominent media outlets such as the BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Financial Times, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Michel-Kerjan’s work at McKinsey & Company exemplifies his focus on practical solutions for complex risk challenges. He has successfully assisted a federal agency in developing strategies to enhance resilience and risk protection across the United States. He has also led the redesign of a global insurer operating in over 40 countries to align with new strategic directions and has conducted risk culture diagnostics for leading insurers. His client work includes supporting companies through M&A strategies, executing holistic transformations for multiline insurers to improve profitability and customer experience, and redefining professional standards for global associations. His expertise includes enterprise risk management, climate risk, and the application of digital innovations to improve business competitiveness and public sector service.