Neil Cherry

Neil Cherry leads the Bain & Company's Engine 2 Ventures, home to Bain’s most innovative SaaS and data businesses.

In addition leading Bain’s new venture portfolio, Neil serves corporate and Private Equity backed clients as a Senior Partner in Bain's global Retail, Consumer and Transformation practices. He has an extensive track record of supporting change-oriented senior executives and shareholders to create major growth stories, exits, and successful business transformations.

Neil’s industry experience spans restaurants, specialty retail, retail services, food and beverage, and health and wellness. His functional expertise includes growth strategy, customer segmentation, M&A, organization and change management.

Neil served as Bain’s Bay Area Managing Partner for a decade, overseeing the firm’s strategy and operations in San Francisco and Silicon Valley until 2021, working closely with his counterparts and practice leaders across the globe. Bay Area revenues and headcount tripled under his leadership and he played a critical role in opening the Seattle office in 2018. Neil was also directly elected by the partnership to serve as Chair of the firm’s Global Nominating Committee from 2016-2021.

Having first joined Bain in Boston in 1990, Neil was promoted to Partner in 2001 and Senior Partner in 2007. He was awarded Bain's highest honor, the Bright Dix award, for excellence in Leadership and Professional Development.

Neil earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was selected as an Arjay Miller Scholar. He also graduated with Honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a BS in Economics and concentrations in Finance and Marketing.