Global Chair
New York
Rich Lesser is CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He has offices in New York and Beijing and has served as CEO since January 2013. Under his leadership, BCG has continued its strong global growth across all regions and practices, fueled by investments in new offices, digital and analytics, and capabilities to drive innovation and transformation. Rich oversaw the launch of BCG Digital Ventures, a digital innovation, product development, and commercialization firm; BCG Gamma, a cutting-edge advanced analytics and machine-learning team; and BCG TURN, a rapid performance acceleration unit.
Rich is a member of several leading organizations, such as the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council and the US Business Roundtable. He has also accelerated BCG’s strong investments in social impact through its many partnerships, including the World Food Programme, Save the Children, and the World Wildlife Fund, along with many global health initiatives.
Previously, Rich served as BCG’s chairman for North and South America from 2009 to 2012 and as head of the New York Metro office system from 2000 to 2009. Since joining BCG in 1988, Rich’s client work has focused on strategy, operations, leadership, and large-scale transformation.
Prior to joining BCG, Rich worked in product development at Procter & Gamble. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar, and a BSE in chemical engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Michigan.
BCG's Rich Lesser describes the critical role that purpose plays in his conversations with business leaders today. Though barely discussed five to ten years ago, purpose is now a key imperative for companies--and it must extend beyond delivering value to shareholders.
Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, explains why company culture must drive innovation and agility.
Rich Lesser discusses why leaders have to keep diversity, equity, and inclusion at the top of their agendas today.
BCG's partnership with TED is built on the belief that ideas are worth sharing and can have a real-world impact. With 138 TED Talks viewed over 143 million times online, we are excited to look back at the powerful ideas presented by BCG experts, and beyond.