Strategy & - prestige and career exits?

Question

I'd like to hear your views on Strategy&. Is it a clear tier 2 company just lagging behind MBB? How is it's reputation among the consulting community?

I'm asking this because I'm interviewing its M&A practice and would consider to switch to PE in a few years (or join a corporate), but on many private equity job description it seems that they are only looking for MBB candidates. On the other hand, for the Fortune 500 companies, I've seen many C-suites coming from MBB, but can't remember to see anyone from Strategy&.. How would joining this firm impact my future career path? Is it a good choice generally speaking? Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

Which region/office are you interviewing? Please update your question with this detail for more targetted advice as reputation varies. Overall, S& is a decent bet & will give you good options. Obviously a lot depends on YOU i.e do you fit better with S& or for that matter another firm, what type of roles you take, your performance & impact.

Have a look at this thread for similar question: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/exit-opportunities-for-strategy-uk-7410

Have a look a this thread also for a more detailed reply from me on choosing the right role/career-https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/opinion-on-leaving-boutique-consulting-after-1-year-10466

Answer 2

Hi there,

Strategy& is generally considered a Tier 2. However this also depends on the geography - in the Middle East, for example, they are stronger than Bain thanks to the past relationships developed by Booz.

The MBB brand is currently stronger than the S& one. As Ian said, some positions are MBB-only as an initial screening.

Whether it makes sense to accept a S& offer depends on the opportunity cost. If you have an MBB offer, that’s generally better in terms of exit opportunities. If you don’t, a S& offer will still open several doors.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

You can't have Tiers and then say "just lagging behind". That's not how this works :)

MBB is a league (tier) above the rest. There are a lot of post-consulting roles/opporunities that specify MBB-only. That said, there are plenty that don't. However, if you're not Tier 1, you're not Tier 1. It doesn't matter if you're "top of Tier 2" when it comes to those specific opportunites.

Please let me be clear that I am no way implying that the Tier 2 firms aren't worth going to - they absolutely are and you should be super happy about a Strategy& offer!

Finally, remember that rankings depend on your region. Strategy& is essentially tier 1 in the Middle East. In other continents/regions its overall ranking (within Tier 2) varies. Nothing beats googling rankings AND networking in regards to figuring out its exact position, prestige, and career exits in that specific region :)