Hugues Lavandier leads the Aerospace & Defense Practice in Europe at McKinsey & Company. He serves as a core leader in advanced industries, specializing in M&A transactions, growth strategies, portfolio rebalancing, and competitive positioning. Since joining the firm in 2005, Hugues has worked with industrial-equipment manufacturers, commodities companies, and investors, guiding them through transformational changes and growth projects. He has a strong track record of helping clients in sectors such as industrial equipment, electric power, mining, oil and gas, and private equity. Hugues' recent work includes leading due diligences for private-equity groups, resetting asset strategies for major oil field services companies, redefining sales strategies for power-generation equipment manufacturers, and transforming engineering processes for industrial suppliers. His expertise also extends to innovation processes, where he has helped accelerate product launches for power-electronics firms and improved capabilities in engineering and product development. Fluent in English, German, and a native French speaker, Hugues is on the board of the fundraising committee for Centrale Supélec. He holds an MBA in finance from Columbia University, a master's degree in engineering from Technical University Munich, and an MS from CentraleSupélec. He has also published numerous works on defense, aerospace, and industrial growth strategies, including his recent papers on European defense and security, the talent gap in aerospace, and the implications of the Ukraine invasion for European defense spending.