At McKinsey, the Winner Is...

Ian Davis, the charismatic leader of McKinsey & Co.'s London office, won election Mar. 6 as the consulting firm's new managing partner. His victory over Senior Director Michael Patsalos-Fox, who will retain his current role as New York office chief, capped a sometimes contentious and secretive election that began in mid-January. Some 270 directors, or senior partners, voted in the process.

Davis, 52, begins a three-year term on July 1, succeeding Rajat Gupta, who led a massive expansion of McKinsey. The firm has had a huge global presence for some time, but until recently, Americans usually had a lock on key leadership positions. Shifting to non-U.S. managers at the highest levels has been gradual, largely occurring under the nine-year reign of Gupta, who was McKinsey's first foreign-born head.