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Michael Silverstein has served in a number of leadership roles at The Boston Consulting Group. He has been a Fellow since 2010 and has also served as leader of BCG’s client service initiative and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Michael was formerly the global leader of BCG’s Consumer practice and is an expert in consumer behavior and the consumer-driven economy.

Since joining BCG in 1980, Michael has come to specialize in helping the senior leadership of large multinationals transform their companies through superior consumer insight, accelerated organic growth, and M&A. His clients include some of the world’s largest and most prominent consumer goods companies and retailers. He is a frequently cited expert on consumer buying behavior, retail and packaged-goods innovation, and market development. He is an expert on global food demand, production, and nutrition.

In addition to his client work, Michael is coauthor, with Neil Fiske, of the best-selling 2003 title Trading Up: The New American Luxury. In 2006, he published the sequel, Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the New Consumer.

His groundbreaking research with 20,000 women in 21 countries led to the popular 2009 book Women Want More: How to Capture Your Share of the World’s Largest, Fastest-Growing Market, which he coauthored with BCG partner Kate Sayre. His latest book, Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth, tells the story of how 16 remarkable business leaders created great brands.

Michael gave a TED presentation in 2014 called The Future of Food as part of a series of talks curated by TED and BCG.

In addition, he is the author of two Harvard Business Review articles and more than 30 BCG publications. He has been interviewed often on the national TV programs of CNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News. He also has been quoted extensively in leading publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Times of London, the Financial Times, The Economist, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, and The Washington Post, among many others.

Prior to joining BCG, Michael worked at United Press International as a reporter and later in new-product development.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

EDUCATION

  • MBA, with honors, Harvard Business School
  • BA, economics and history, Brown University

HONORS AND AWARDS

Publications and Videos

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What It Takes to Build a Start-Up into a Brand

Curiosity is the greatest source of ideas and retail revolutions. A curious mind armed with skill, experience, and knowledge can give birth to a brand revolution.
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Don’t Ask Your Customers What They Want (Because They Don’t Know Until You Show Them)

Expect new-to-the-world ideas to fall on deaf ears. Consumers will, however, change their tune when they can see, touch, and explore.
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Take Giant Leaps (Because You’re Not Going to Win with Timid Steps)

No one has ever dramatically changed a market by offering timid, incremental improvements. To win, you need to take giant leaps.
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Demand-Centric Growth: How to Grow by Finding Out What Really Drives Consumer Choice

Contrary to popular belief, consumers are not enigmatic. Asking the right questions can help you pinpoint the real drivers of consumer choice.
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Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth

Apostle brands like Apple, Amazon, and Starbucks represent a new class of brand winners. They also highlight important lessons for converting customers into die-hard followers and ardent advocates.
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The Boomerang Effect

Soaring consumption in China and India offers opportunity as well as risk: heightened demand for commodities will “boomerang” worldwide, leading to resource shortages, inflation, and conflict.
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A $10 Trillion Bet on China and India

The drive and optimism of affluent Chinese and Indians will prevail over short-term economic uncertainty, explains BCG’s Michael J. Silverstein on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network.
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China and India: Boom or Bust?

China and India are in the midst of a revolution in growth—not unlike the U.S. economy in its early days—and volatility is part of the bargain.
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Mr. Number 19 and the Race to Educate the Next Generation

BCG’s E4 Index measures the relative competitiveness of a country’s educational system. China and India could create powerful engines of economic growth by addressing four key areas.
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China Isn’t a Threat to America. It’s an Opportunity

In an article for The Christian Science Monitor, BCG’s Michael J. Silverstein explains why growth in China—and in other rapidly developing economies—means opportunity for America, too.
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The Accelerator Mindset

Entrepreneurs in China and India are creating multifaceted companies with astounding growth targets. Their extraordinary confidence, energy, and determination will make them formidable global competitors.
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Captivating the Newly Affluent in China and India

Until now, no book has really focused on the vital force that will transform China and India—namely, these nations' new consumers. The $10 Trillion Prize aims to fill the gap.