Nikolaus Lang
Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Leader, Global Advantage practice
Munich
Nikolaus S. Lang is Boston Consulting Group’s leader for the Global Advantage practice, and a core member of the Industrial Goods and Automotive practices. Over the last 20 years, Nikolaus has supported clients on globalization and mobility related topics in more than 50 emerging and mature markets, including a large set of Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Russian, Turkish, Saudi, and Brazilian clients, as well as clients from Europe and the US.
A global expert in connectivity, autonomous vehicles, car-sharing, and fleet management, Nikolaus is the founder and director of BCG’s Center for Mobility Innovation, a team of urban mobility experts and digital business builders. This team advises cities, public transportation operators, and mobility and automotive companies around the globe as they create innovative and state-of-the-art mobility solutions. Nikolaus also manages BCG’s collaboration with the World Economic Forum, which is dedicated to shaping the mobility of the future and, in particular, to how autonomous vehicles impact the world’s metropoles.
Nikolaus has written publications on an array of contemporary questions that have offered insight and guidance to policymakers, clients, and BCG teams on topics such as the new era of globalization, global digital transformation, geopolitics and trade impact, global R&D networks, and mobility innovation and new megacities in emerging markets. He is also a coauthor of BCG’s book, “Beyond Great,” which describes how the world has been transformed due to social tension, economic nationalism, and technological revolution. Business leaders are encouraged to go beyond great and “adopt a radical new playbook—one that helps their companies become resilient in the face of even the most volatile situations.”
Previously, Nikolaus was a BCG Henderson Institute Fellow. He examined the art of collaboration in the digital age and the crucial role that cross-border joint ventures, alliances, and digital ecosystems play today. His research determined how to set up and manage these new global collaboration networks and strategically use them to gain a competitive edge.
Before joining BCG, Nikolaus worked in the corporate strategy department of the Austrian trading firm Bank Austria Handelsholding.
Nations that decide to help local businesses need a well-executed plan that is part of a broader economic development approach.
The new administration will fight to advance and protect US economic interests—but America will no longer go it alone.
To avoid transport chaos, municipal planners first need to understand what consumers want from their transportation systems.
In a world in turmoil, the private sector can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change and inequality, securing companies’ long-term advantage in the process.
Companies must attract members and partners to their platforms while maximizing profits.
Social media and e-commerce platforms responded to the pandemic by launching innovative apps and services, ramping up new technologies, and helping enterprises migrate online with remarkable speed.
Even when the global economy fully recovers, the international trade landscape will look dramatically different in the years ahead than it did before the pandemic.
Autonomous vehicles will be a major option in future metro transportation, but their optimal role in the mobile mix varies across five city archetypes.
Plans to tax CO2 emissions that are attributed to imports would hike costs for EU trade partners and redefine competitive advantage in many industries.
