Bloomberg reports that McKinsey has appointed 21 experts to a new position called Distinguished Partner, aimed at recognizing individuals with top-tier expertise in fields such as AI and technology.
This is a higher rank than Partner with increased compensation, but still lower than Senior Partner. Holders of this title also do not have voting rights to elect the company’s executive leadership.
According to recruitment firms, the annual income of a Partner at McKinsey ranges from about $500,000 to $1.5 million, while a Senior Partner can receive up to $5 million in favorable business years.
McKinsey believes client demand is shifting strongly toward seeking experts with deep knowledge in AI and complex fields, rather than generalist consultants.
The article notes that this is also a way for consulting firms to protect their businesses against the risk of AI automating many traditional consulting tasks.
A McKinsey survey shows that about two-thirds of organizations globally have not yet started deploying AI on a large scale. Meanwhile, a Bain survey shows that most businesses that have automated have not yet achieved the expected cost savings.
Source Global forecasts that the US technology consulting market will grow by about 7% this year thanks to AI deployment demand.
Morgan McKinley forecasts that accounting and consulting will be one of the fastest-growing hiring sectors in London in 2026, with the number of job openings increasing by 21%.
Bain stated that its AI and data analytics team has tripled since 2020 to over 1,500 experts, accounting for about half of newly hired experienced personnel. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) also stated that about 40% of current projects involve specialized experts.
According to Bloomberg, major consulting firms are shifting from a “generalist consultant” model to combining consulting with technology deployment and practical operations, where AI and technology experts become a crucial growth force.
📌 AI does not reduce the demand for top consulting firms, but is changing the type of talent they need. McKinsey, Bain, and BCG are all accelerating the hiring and promotion of AI, data, and technology experts to meet businesses’ AI deployment needs. When the majority of organizations have not yet scaled AI broadly, consulting firms’ competitive advantage increasingly lies in deep expertise and practical implementation capabilities, rather than just providing strategic recommendations.
