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Wenting Gao

PartnerHouston

Leader in energy transition strategy in North America who works closely with oil and gas companies, chemical companies, and investors to scale up new products and shift portfolios; focuses on circularity, biofuels, bio-based materials, battery materials

Wenting is a partner in McKinsey’s Houston office. She co-leads the firm’s work on energy transition and sustainability strategy in global energy and materials (GEM) in North America. She primarily works with oil and gas (O&G) and chemical incumbents as well as investors on growth strategy, capital markets strategy, portfolio reallocation, and go to market and scale-up of new materials and platforms.

Some of her recent client projects include working with executives and sponsors on:

  • Leading an investment scan in battery materials and renewable energy services for a large investor
  • Conducting a battery materials go to market for a market entrant
  • Developing a US go-to-market strategy for an EU-based clean technologies equipment provider
  • Creating an exit strategy for brown-to-green portfolio companies owned by private equity investors
  • Conducting due diligence on a sustainable aviation fuel project, including market positioning and partnership options
  • Developing a low-carbon plastics monetization strategy and go to market, including characterization of green material market clearing
  • Creating a sustainable fuels strategy and assessing bio/waste-feedstock availability, market clearing, value pools
  • Building a corporate strategy for a large US fuel retailer across core fuel products and new energy options
  • Assisting with a business unit adjacency pivot and energy transition strategy for a large specialty chemical company
  • Developing a sustainability-focused business strategy (including decarbonization, circularity, and diversity and inclusion) and scaling up a plastic recycling business
  • Outlining an investment roadmap for plastic recovery and recycling to lead a global cross-industry alliance and working with leaders across the value chain, including brand owners, resin producers, waste management companies
  • Designing a plastic recycling joint venture and rolling out the pilot
  • Creating a sustainability strategy and setting up a sustainability organization for a Fortune 100 energy company
  • Outlining a renewables investment roadmap for a large technology investor, including outside-in perspective of industry trends, global opportunities, and strategic pathways (focused on solar, storage, and carbon credits)

Prior to joining McKinsey, Wenting graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with highest honors in economics from Harvard University. She wrote her honors thesis on global value chains under Professor Dale Jorgenson.

EDUCATION

Harvard University
BA, economics