Blackstone Hires McKinsey Veteran to Helm Portfolio Operations

Blackstone Inc. tapped a longtime McKinsey & Co. executive to steer the operators behind the $1.1 trillion private equity firm’s portfolio companies.

Rodney Zemmel, who led McKinsey’s digital practice, has been named global head of portfolio operations, Blackstone said Thursday in a memo to staff. He’ll lead a collective of operating executives and advisers that functions as a management consulting arm for some 250 portfolio companies generating $226 billion of annual revenue.

The group helps scout for top executives, fix technology systems and consult businesses on their brands, among other tasks. This playbook is taking the industry’s ...