Bain & Company has appointed Tom De Waele as its new regional managing partner for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective January 26. The announcement comes as the firm reports strong expansion across the region, delivering robust double-digit growth across its practices and capabilities.
De Waele steps into the role during a period of sustained momentum for Bain’s EMEA business, which has expanded across advisory areas including financial services, private equity, AI, digital and M&A. In his new position, he will focus on accelerating the firm’s growth trajectory across regional markets while strengthening its ability to deliver transformational outcomes for clients.
A central priority for De Waele will be scaling Bain’s work in AI, digital and data, reflecting rising client demand for AI-related programs and advanced analytics capabilities. He will also aim to reinforce the firm’s collaborative culture, which has earned it repeated recognition as one of the world’s leading workplaces.
De Waele brings 22 years of experience at Bain, most recently serving for six years as managing partner for the Middle East, based in Dubai. During that time, he led a multi-year expansion of the firm’s presence in the region and advised leading institutions on growth strategy, M&A and digital transformation initiatives. Earlier in his career, he worked extensively across Germany, France, Belgium and the UK, advising multinational corporations and financial investors on dealmaking, post-merger integrations and full-potential transformation programs, including large-scale AI initiatives.
He succeeds Domenico Azzarello, who led Bain’s EMEA operations for seven years, overseeing a period in which the region’s revenue doubled. Under Azzarello’s leadership, the firm opened new offices in Athens, Lisbon and Vienna and expanded its capabilities through multiple acquisitions. These included the 2020 acquisition and integration of QVARTZ in the Nordics, the 2021 acquisition of Italian data science consultancy Pangea, and the purchase of Tech Economy to strengthen Bain’s technology due diligence capabilities within its global private equity practice. Subsequent additions included London-based Proxima in 2022, Enterprise Blueprints in 2023 and Madrid-based AI specialist Piper Labs in 2024.
Throughout Azzarello’s tenure, Bain’s EMEA operations also deepened their expertise in digital and AI to address rapidly evolving client needs across industries.
De Waele will be based in London in his new role.
KEY QUOTES:
“For more than twenty years, Tom has helped build our business in EMEA. He combines real client expertise, strong people leadership, and sharp business judgment. That has strengthened our position in the region and raised both the results we deliver for our clients, as well as the experience for our teams. Our EMEA business is in a very strong position from which to further expand and develop in its next phase of growth. With Tom leading the region, I’m confident we will take both our client impact and our business in EMEA to the next level,”
Christophe De Vusser, CEO And Worldwide Managing Partner, Bain & Company
“Domenico has an extraordinary record leading Bain in EMEA during the past seven, highly successful years. Our business in the region has doubled in this time while maintaining outstanding results in meeting clients’ needs and greatly strengthening the depth and range of our capabilities. Domenico has led from the front in each and every corner of the region, embracing the collective regional spirit as well as the strength and uniqueness of the individual markets, fostering our firm culture and nurturing our deep bench of talent in the region.”
Christophe De Vusser, CEO And Worldwide Managing Partner, Bain & Company
“I am hugely excited to be succeeding Domenico and by the enormous potential to build on the outstanding performance of Bain’s business in EMEA over the past seven years under his leadership. We are in a time of far-reaching and fast-paced change for businesses across every industry and sector and I am energized to partner and work with our teams across EMEA as we help clients to meet this moment and secure exceptional future results.”
Tom De Waele, Regional Managing Partner For Europe, Middle East And Africa, Bain & Company
