Jesse Klempner
Partner
McKinsey & Company
Jesse is a leader in McKinsey’s Aerospace & Defense, Private Equity & Principal Investors, and Automotive & Assembly Practices. He has led numerous strategic engagements for A&D primes and subcontractors as well as industrial companies, studies across the full M&A lifecycle (such as M&A strategy, industry and target scans, diligences, and postmerger management), and more than 50 transaction diligences.
Examples of his recent client work include the following:
- conducting the strategic portfolio review, including valuation of available business and strategic options, levers to increase value, and new business models to pursue, at a major prime contractor
- leading a product-lineup transformation for a leading powersports OEM
- developing the strategy on the future of space industry, with a focus on national security, space, and commercial convergence
- developing the acquisition-strategy formulation and subsequent acquisition screen for a major A&D prime contractor, with tasks that included identifying, scoring, and prioritizing targets against multiple themes and capability needs
Prior to joining McKinsey, Jesse worked for a boutique management-consulting firm that focused on due diligence and strategy engagements in A&D. He has also spent time at two large law firms focused on private-equity transactions and at a private-equity firm focused on A&D opportunities.
Jesse began his career in the US House of Representatives, where he focused on the defense budget, defense policy, and foreign relations. His final position in the House was as the chief of staff to the chairman of the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.