Miguel Lopes
Executive coaching for leaders stepping up: new role, new stakes, new you
Studied at London Business School
Worked at McKinsey & Company
Available Friday at 9:30 AM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Miguel's Offerings
Custom hourly · $79/hr
Get help with Communication Skills, Decision Making, and .
Miguel’s Executive Coaching Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Director
I spent 12 years at McKinsey & Company, leaving as an Associate Partner focused on the energy sector. In that role I advised C-suite and senior leaders through exactly the situations most executives seek coaching for: stepping into bigger roles, leading through ambiguity, managing boards and difficult stakeholders, and making high-stakes calls with incomplete information. I've sat in the room where those decisions get made and I've coached and developed dozens of consultants and client leaders along the way, from first-time managers to partners. I'm now building an independent coaching and advisory practice, training with the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), the world's largest ICF-accredited coach training program. My coaching blends that rigorous, whole-person methodology with a strategist's pragmatism: we work on who you're becoming as a leader and the concrete moves in front of you. I work in English and Portuguese, with particular depth in energy, professional services, and Iberian/lusophone markets.
Miguel can help with:
Communication Skills
Decision Making
Leadership Development
Strategic Planning
Strategy
Team Management
About Miguel
I'm Miguel, based in Lisbon. I spent 12 years at McKinsey, most recently as an Associate Partner in the energy practice, before making a deliberate choice: leave the firm, keep the craft. I now run an independent practice combining executive coaching, advisory work, and teaching. A few things about me beyond the CV: I have a genuine love for helping others grow and be successful. E.g., I started free classes in High School for peers with low grades. I'm also the kind of person who really goes deep to solve an issue. E.g., when there was a need for forecasts in a niche segment in the energy market, I created a full product team to build these forecasts and serve clients globally. I work in Portuguese and English. What people tend to say about working with me: I'm direct, I don't waste your time, and I care as much about who you're becoming as what you're solving this week.
Why do I coach?
Two reasons. First, on my McKinsey engagements I have seen first hand the impact that coaching can have in shaping personal and company's success. More than any framework or strategy, getting the right sparing partner and training is transformational. Second, the best part of my years in consulting was never the deck, it was the moment a client or a mentee saw something they couldn't see before and acted on it. Coaching is that moment, distilled. I left a firm I loved to build a practice around it deliberately: fewer slides, more of the conversations that actually change what people do next.
Work Experience
Associate Partner
McKinsey & Company
May 2024 - July 2026
Interviewer
- Led multi-year effort with a Global Renewables player in their journey from regional champion to top-tier global solar DG position; scope included priority market assessment across Europe, go-to-market definition, and development of an Energy Communities product from scratch — covering customer research, business case, pricing, pilot design and implementation - Built and led McKinsey's dedicated solar DG and BTM BESS knowledge team with full P&L responsibility; achieved scale and profitability in first year of operation through progressive team development, proprietary knowledge asset creation, and cultivation of new and existing client relationships across 4 continents - Designed European expansion strategy for a C&I solar player: diagnosed existing sales engine and designed path to >2× lead generation, compressed E2E lead-to-win time by 6 months, and >2× win rate improvement - Advised 50+ clients globally (e.g., utilities, PE funds, startups) on solar DG strategy, competitive positioning, market entry, due diligence; built deep local market intelligence across top European markets, APAC, US, and Brazil
Asset Manager
McKinsey & Company
June 2022 - May 2024
Admissions Committee
Engagement Manager
McKinsey & Company
January 2021 - June 2022
Hiring Manager
- Led strategy review and capital markets communication for a top-tier Global Renewables player with operations across generation, T&D, and retail in Europe, US, LATAM, and APAC - Shaped a global manufacturer and engineering conglomerate's approach to multi-billion USD energy transition opportunities — from landscape mapping and prioritisation to detailed business case development for highest-potential plays - Supported a Global O&G player in assessing emerging energy transition plays in Iberia; - Advised Banking, Telecom, and Insurance institutions on opportunities and risks arising from the energy transition - Co-created Portugal's NetZero 2050 Plan with the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD), engaging and aligning business, government, academic, and NGO stakeholders across the process - Designed plan for addressing European Central Bank feedback on revamping bank control functions
Consultant - Student Consultant
Mobiag
August 2018 - December 2018
- Reviewed business plan and strategy - Created tools to support execution and increase C-team's ability to track performance vs. business plan/strategy - Led company diagnostic to uncover potential scalling hurdles
Consultant
Department for Education
June 2017 - August 2017
- Benchmarked best practices in EdTech strategies worldwide - Prepared and handled key stakeholder sessions to discuss and gather insights on EdTech approach
Senior Business Analyst
McKinsey & Company
January 2014 - June 2016
Interviewer
- Created a procurement plan for an African Telecom operator, introducing active supplier management and negotiation techniques (estimated impact of 10% in cost savings) - Oversaw due diligence and performed the valuation of targets for a Telecom company in Africa (target's annual revenues > 60M USD) - Designed and tested a rollout plan for improving distribution network in a telecom operator in Africa - Assisted a client team in implementing lean methodology in an European bank (~25% cost reduction and ~20% increase in employees satisfaction) - Valued operational synergies and prepared integration alongside client teams in a M&A banking deal - Analysed customer requests, complaints and technical failures in an European Telecom company to improve its customer satisfaction and loyalty - Designed post-M&A integration process and target organization after an insurance M&A deal - Designed target organizational model in a restructuring project of an Energy company
Education
London Business School
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
2016 - 2018
Activities and societies: Peer Leader Program - Consulting, Portugal Club
Universidade do Porto
Bachelor's degree, Economics
2010 - 2013