Julien Gagnon is a partner in McKinsey’s London office and co-leads McKinsey’s Technology Practice in Europe. He advises technology companies, private-equity firms, and principal investors globally on strategy, transactions, and end-to-end value creation, with particular experience advising on AI-related growth strategies, competitive positioning, and investment theses in technology-enabled business models.
He supports clients across the investment cycle—from commercial and vendor due diligence and M&A strategy to growth acceleration, integration, AI strategy, and operational transformation. His sector focus includes software, SaaS, IT services, cloud infrastructure, and AI-native and AI-enabled business models.
His work centers on helping technology businesses translate strategy into measurable performance impact. He partners with boards, investors, and executive teams on portfolio strategy, capital allocation, value-creation roadmaps, and commercial transformation, with particular emphasis on monetization models, recurring-revenue economics, and competitive positioning in AI-accelerated markets.
Julien is an active thought leader on technology and economic development. He publishes regularly on McKinsey.com on the evolution of the European technology sector and AI-driven value creation, and his academic research in economics has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals.
Before joining McKinsey, Julien completed a PhD in economics as a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge, where his research focused on microeconomic and network theory. He previously earned a master’s in international development from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Montreal.
