Question ACI Summer Bain Dubai

Profitability, market entry, growth, pricing, M&A. It could be any of these. Expect a mix. Don't put all your prep into one area.

For Dubai specifically, expect cases that reflect the regional market. Industries like retail, financial services, private equity, real estate, consumer goods, and public sector come up often. The Gulf economy is different from Europe or the US, so cases might involve regional context like market entry into Saudi Arabia, tourism growth, or government-backed initiatives.

That said, the fundamentals are the same everywhere. They want to see structured thinking, clear communication, and good business sense. The industry is just the backdrop.

Practice a mix of case types. Get comfortable with profitability and market entry since those are most common. But also do a few pricing, growth, and M&A cases so nothing surprises you. And read up a bit on the Middle East market so you're not caught off guard by regional context.

Good luck.

Hi there,

For a Summer Internship at Bain Dubai you should expect standard strategy case types rather than heavily industry specific scenarios. Cases commonly include profitability market entry growth strategy and business prioritization often with a commercial or customer angle. You’re likely to see multiple parts in a case such as initial scoping exhibit interpretation and a short synthesis or recommendation.

In terms of industry Bain usually varies cases rather than focusing on one sector. You might see cases inspired by consumer goods retail financial services tech or energy but no prior industry knowledge is expected. The focus is on structured thinking hypothesis driven problem solving clear communication and sound logic.

Overall you should think of summer internship cases as general strategy problems where business judgment and clarity matter more than deep technical or sector knowledge.

Best,
Evelina

That's a smart question to ask—preparing for the specific regional flavor of an office shows you're taking this seriously. While the Bain Dubai office operates within the Middle East ecosystem, the fundamental goal of ACI/Intern recruiting remains standardized: testing basic structured thinking, not specialized domain expertise.

For summer internships, the firms are usually testing if you can handle the fundamentals under pressure. This means the cases are often slightly simplified versions of the firm's standard global templates. You should prioritize flawless preparation for Profitability and Market Entry cases, as these are the backbone of the screening process across nearly all offices. Less common but possible are small M&A strategy or high-level Organization/Cost Optimization cases.

Regarding industry, they will absolutely contextualize the cases to the region. Expect heavy focus on industries prevalent in the GCC: Government/Public Sector, large local conglomerates (often real estate or retail-focused), and potentially Energy/Oil & Gas. The key takeaway is this: the industry context will feel local, but the framework required to solve the case (e.g., a Profit Tree or a 3C’s analysis) is globally consistent. Focus your prep on making your math lightning-fast and your frameworks instantly adaptable.

All the best!

Hi,

The cases that are given for an intership at Bain Dubai are market entry, pricing, profitability, growth, value creation... in the most common sectors: energy, chemicals, FMCG, fashion, retail.

I have some cases available still used at ME. Let me know if you would like to practice a case.

Kr,
Mattijs

There isn't one type. 

The Bain interviews my candidates went to over the last few weeks had cases from across different industries. 

If you want to make sure, do reach out to the recruiter and ask this question directly. At least then you can put your mind to rest. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out directly to me. 

Best,
Cristian

hey there :)

I would say cases are usually classic strategy cases like profitability, market entry, and growth or product launch. They aren’t strongly tied to one industry, though finance, tech, and consumer goods appear often. The key is clean structure, sharp math, and clear recommendations rather than deep industry knowledge.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

The cases given for summer internships do not differ much from those given for normal positions. You should focus on building your structuring and problem solving skills so you can apply them irrespective of industry and objective.