Carl W. Stern, President and CEO of The Boston Consulting Group, Chicago, IL.

Carl W. Stern joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1974 and led the Chicago office from 1981-91. He was elected President and Chief Executive Officer in 1997 and assumed these roles In January 1998. Previously, he served as co-chair of BCG's Americas Region, dividing his time between management responsibilities and advising a small number of long-term clients.

Prior to joining BCG, Mr. Stern served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer.

At BCG, he has focused his professional practice on assisting clients with developing competitive strategies for individual businesses and shaping corporate portfolios and organizations along capability lines. His client industry base spans consumer packaged goods, financial services and industrial companies, most of which are global in scope. He has published several articles in BCG's widely read Perspectives series. He has appeared as a speaker at many management forums, as well as at international conferences of leading companies.

Carl Stern holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he was first in his class. He has a BA in economics, cum laude, from Harvard College.

Reviewed books: