Strategy& Dubai offer and exit options, MBA opportunities

Question

Hi guys!

I have got an offer from Strategy& Dubai office for the Associate position. I am very thrilled to get the offer. However, I have some questions:

1. I don't have any work ex and want to do an MBA in one of the global top 10 MBAs down the line. I want to know how consulting experience in Dubai is perceived by the B-schools (read Stanford, Kellogg, INSEAD).

2. Can I get a transfer to cities like London, Singapore or Toronto from Dubai after 2-3 years at Strategy&?

3. What is the salary and perks like after the first promotion (Sr. Associate)?

4. What are my exit opportunities when it comes to the tech industry - FAANG (product and strategy roles) in other countries? (assuming that I would work with TMT a lot)

Looking forward to your responses!

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hey A,

First of all, my congratulations to your offer!

I already helped several mentees of mine to get into Strategy &. Actually One of them has also got an offer for Dubai office just on Monday.

I know the Managing Director of the region pretty well.

Good news - the company is willing to sponsor your MBA (i.e. INSEAD, LBS, Ivy League, etc.). The firm is respectable and your chances for an MBA are pretty high.
Yes, you can if you have done the projects in theses geographies in the past and have people, who can help you. I was working for RB in Kyiv/Ukraine, Munich/Germany and Dubai/UAE – I can help with a practical advice how to do your office transfers
Depending on the position – if you will tell me your current position I can tell you what you can expect next. In 2018 they offered me 220k all-in for a manager position.
If I were you, I would do an exit right after the MBA and ask the new employer to take over the fees ? I have some friends who did it that way

Anyway, it a great start for you!

If you need any career advice, or want to connect to my mentees in the firm / in Dubai, just drop me a line ?

Best,

André

Answer 2

Hello, congrats for the offer!

First, do you have any other and you are trying to compare them, or is your only option?

To your points:

1. Consulting is the background from a lot of people in top MBAs, and not only MBB, but also Strategy&. Think that they also want to have diversity in backgrounds and companies.

2. In theory, yes. Even before.

3. Best thing is to look it up at glassdoor, where actual candidates share that info.

4. If you do work with TMT, really good. If you don´t work wtih TMT that much but you are passionate about it or have a prior background, still good enaugh.

Hello!

From your message I understand that you are "trying to understand the broad areas to look at when the client is a from the public sector"

However, it totally depends on what the case is asking you for. As outlined by previous answers, public companies are many times no different than private ones in terms of what they want and the problems they are facing. Hence, don´t make the mistake of thinking they need a totally different approach.

What determines the approach is mostly the case prompt, not the type of client/industry.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 3

Hi,

Location is not important. Brand of the company is important. Also, it's important to tell them an interesting story. Double background (e.g. consulting + tech) usually helps a lot
2. Similar to other companies - you should have a partner / partners in that country supporting your transition. Otherwise, it'll be hard
Glassdoor can help
Product roles will be close to impossible if you don't have prior product / engineering or at least product ops background. Usually, you can apply to Biz ops / Sales Ops / revenue / strategic finance teams

Best