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In London offices, how heavily does the project structure (by numbers) by industry and project type differ between Bain, BCG, Mckinsey? Also, is it fair to argue that most projects come from Fortune 500 companies for all MBB firms?

E.g. Mckinsey, BCG have more oprational projects than Bain or  Mckinsey, BCG work with heavy industries more often than with a consumer sector?

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Alessa
Coach
on Aug 22, 2025
10% discount in August |xMcKinsey & Company | xBCG | xRB | >400 coachings | feel free to schedule an intro call for free

Hey, 

In London, the project mix MBB is more similar than different, but there are some nuances. McKinsey and BCG do a higher share of operations and large transformation programs from my experience, often with heavy industries (energy, transport, industrial goods) given their scale and relationships. Bain tends to skew a bit more toward PE due diligence and consumer/retail compared to the others, though they also do strategy and transformations.

That said, all three work across industries, and the actual staffing depends more on client demand and your office’s project pipeline than strict “firm DNA.” London is also very international, so you’ll see cross-border cases in finance, healthcare, and tech as well.

And yes, it’s fair to say that the bulk of projects come from large, multinational clients (often Fortune 500 or their European equivalents). That’s where budgets are, and that’s consistent across all MBB firms.

best, Alessa :)

Evelina
Coach
10 hrs ago
EY-Parthenon (7 years) l BCG offer holder l 7+ years coaching l 30% off first session l free 15' intro call l LBS

Hi there,

All three London offices (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) cover a broad mix of industries and project types, but there are some subtle differences:

  • Project type: McKinsey historically has the strongest presence in operations and implementation, with large-scale transformation work making up a big share. BCG London has also built a significant operations practice, but it is still very strong in strategy and corporate development. Bain is relatively more concentrated in pure strategy, commercial due diligence, and private equity support, though they also do implementation.
  • Industries: McKinsey and BCG in London tend to have deeper benches in heavy industries (energy, industrial goods, infrastructure, financial services). Bain London has a strong consumer/retail, private equity, and TMT (tech, media, telecoms) focus. That said, all three do projects across all major sectors, so you won’t be “stuck” in one industry.
  • Client base: Not all projects are for Fortune 500 clients. Especially in London, you’ll see a big share from European multinationals, FTSE 100 companies, large PE firms, and even government/public sector. MBBs serve top-tier clients, but “Fortune 500 only” is not accurate. Bain, for example, does a huge volume of PE due diligence for mid-market funds as well.

So in short: yes, McKinsey/BCG skew a bit more toward operational and heavy-industry work compared to Bain, but the differences are more about emphasis than exclusivity. And while Fortune 500–type firms make up a big portion, the client mix is broader than that across all three.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out.
 

Best, 

Evelina

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