France: in the midst of judicial turmoil, the communication director of McKinsey is preparing to "take flight"
In the midst of legal turmoil, McKinsey's Dircom (director of communications) is preparing to leave her post at the end of the year. This information was revealed on December 14, when a search was carried out at the Paris headquarters of the American consulting firm under investigation by the PNF (National Financial Prosecutor's Office)
Are the rats about to jump ship? This question arises at a time when the noose is tightening around the consulting firm McKinsey and its very suspicious relations with the French government. And it is in this stormy context that a heavyweight of the American consulting firm will leave his post at the end of the year.
This personality is none other than Charlotte Pasternak, appointed director of communications for McKinsey in France in May 2021. According to the media Consultor specializing in consulting firms, Pasternak has simply decided to leave her post.
"Charlotte Pasternak, a former Danone (of which McKinsey is a consultant of choice ) and PMU ( whose CEO is also a former member of the firm ), who arrived as McKinsey's communications director in France in May 2021, will leave her functions at the end of the year, learned Consultor. She had to manage one of the biggest reputational crises in the history of the firm since it set up in France in… 1964″, reveals the source.
And Consultor to add: "Thus, very recently, we learned that Charlotte Pasternak had initiated a call for tenders to protect her reputation". Indeed, less than a month ago, the investigative media Letter A revealed that the American consulting firm had launched a call for tenders to clean up its reputation.
“The world's leading consultancy, McKinsey, launched a market in early November to improve its image, in response to the disclosure of its use of tax optimization. Several agencies are working on the e-reputation of the brand, which is facing a new legal storm over the financing of Emmanuel Macron's campaign”, Letter A told us on November 25.
It must be said that this attempt to restore its image comes in an extremely difficult context for the American multinational shaken by numerous scandals in France, the United States but also in other countries of the world, such as South Africa.
In France, the firm is accused of favoritism and of having received several million euros from the French State, which has continued to use its services. Moreover, last November, it was revealed that the French State spent 28 million on consulting firms during the pandemic and of this sum, 6.7 million went straight into the pockets of McKinsey.
At least that's what the media Marianne taught us . Indeed, according to this source, which cites a report from the French Senate, 28 million euros were spent on consulting firms during the Coronavirus pandemic. The source specifies that the information appeared in the “Health” report of the State Budget and was confirmed by MP Véronique Louwagie.
Firms that have benefited from this huge measure have been cited. These are: Citwell Consulting, Accenture, CGI (including its French subsidiary CGI France) and McKinsey, which worked with its company Orphoz. And spending has skyrocketed in the period from March 2021 to May 2022.
“In November 2021, Véronique Louwagie had estimated the amount of the first invoice linked to the use of consultants between March 2020 and February 2021 at 11.2 million euros. have been spent by the executive with private firms to manage the health crisis”, informs the source. And no surprises! The American firm McKinsey hit the jackpot by pocketing 6.7 million euros for three missions carried out between March and August 2021.
“The American consulting firm, champion of tax evasion, notably came in support of the vaccination task force of the Ministry of Health. To complete the podium: Accenture won 19 calls for tenders, for a total amount of 5.3 million euros, followed just behind by the company Citwell, which pocketed 3 million euros. The latter had been called in as reinforcements, from April to July 2021, for logistical support and the distribution of vaccines against Covid-19″, details the report.
Charlotte Pasternak's departure is certainly due to the crisis that has rocked the consulting firm under fire from critics since the start of the pandemic. Moreover, this December 14, its Parisian headquarters was raided by French justice which is conducting an investigation into its links with Macron's presidential campaign in 2017.
- Source : Sheikh Dieng
