Karen Harris

Managing Director, Macro Trends Group, Bain & Company

Karen Harris is the managing director of Bain’s Macro Trends Group (MTG).

Macro Trends Group is the capability group for developing the firm's insights about global macroeconomics, macro social trends, and geopolitics as they impact the results of our clients. The group’s proprietary research includes work on trends driving global growth in GDP and capital markets, as well as specific geographic analyses (including China, the United States, and the Eurozone), which it uses to help clients understand the potential impact of the volatile global environment on their businesses. Karen frequently works with institutional investors to embed macro strategy into their investment strategies and due diligence efforts.

Karen holds an M.B.A., with distinction, from Harvard Business School and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She holds bachelor's degrees in economics and international relations, with honors, from Stanford University.

Karen is regularly featured in major media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Economic Times of India, Caijing China, and CEO Forum Australia, Bloomberg and FOX Television.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee on US-China Relations, and the Economics Club of New York.

Karen is also a Global Futures Council member for the World Economic Forum, as well as a member of the Community of Chief Economists. She is on the external advisory board of Harvard University’s Master in Design Engineering program and an International Council member for the Belfer School at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She also serves on the Board of Pencils of Promise, a nonprofit that partners with local communities in developing countries to build schools. The organization focuses on early education, high-potential females, and cultivating young leadership at home and abroad.