Larry Kanarek ’76
Doctor of Business Administration
Larry Kanarek ’76 was an invaluable member of McKinsey & Co. for 34 years — serving as a senior partner for 23 of them — before retiring in 2014.
His client work at the global management-consulting firm included developing restructuring strategies that boosted corporate focus, customer satisfaction, product innovation, employment growth and investor returns at Fortune 100 companies. One such strategy resulted in what was then the largest-ever corporate breakup, creating a significant increase in employment, revenues and profitability.
As a top manager at McKinsey, Kanarek sat on the firm’s internal board of directors for 18 years, chaired its global-partner election and evaluation committees for 15 years, and served as its first chief risk officer. In all his roles at the company, he was adept at recognizing and nurturing the talents of others, especially their leadership abilities.
Brandeis has long benefited from Kanarek’s service. He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2010-17, presiding as board chair from 2016-17. Alongside business professor Ben Gomes-Casseres, he also taught a course called Alliance, Acquisition and Divestment Strategy from 2015-19.
Kanarek currently consults on a pro bono basis in the field of education, most recently working with the president of Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan membership organization that seeks to ensure universities remain places where intellectual curiosity, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement can thrive.