Hi,

Several things to consider:

• Although your proposed salary is higher right now, your career growth in Kearney Duabai will be much slower than at MBB. Work-life balance in Kearney Dubai is not different from MBB as well. This information is based on the feedbacks of my candidates
• I also heard a lot of negative feedbacks about Bain specifically in that region (work-life, culture, etc). That's mostly applicable to Saudi, but you'll eventually get staffed on these projects
• BCG seems like a great option. It's also global and you'll be able to expand beyond one region

Best

So, Kearney has done a nice sales job on you my friend ;)

Of course, during the interviews, they pitched themselves as the leaders!

Look, they're a great company, and, if you're interested in/drawn towards them you should absolutely pick Kearney. Especially if you liked the people and think you'll get good experience.

That said, pretty much every ranking puts BCG ahead of Kearney in the Middle East.

Furthermore, if you have global work aspirations, BCG comes out way ahead.

Again, culture+fit+mentorship are really important! However, if the focus is on prestige, exit opps, etc. BCG is the no-brainer choice here.

https://managementconsulted.com/top-consulting-firms-middle-east/

https://www.consultancy-me.com/news/2812/the-top-25-strategy-consulting-firms-in-the-middle-east

Hello,

If I should choose based on the brand recognition, I would definetely go for BCG.
It seems quite weird to me that AtKearney pays significantly more than BCG, are you sure that you are talking of the same position in terms of seniority?
Be sure that the down side of this is not to have a slower career or a lower salary later.
Also: since you are an experienced hire, do you know already the practice you will be added to? Public sector in those countries can be quite demanding in terms of work hours.

If there is no issue related to above questions, I would seriosly consider AtKearney because in terms of exit options these 3 options are quite aligned.

Best,
Luca

Hey there!

Congratulations on your offers!

I will speak out of direct experience about BCG, Bain, and Kearney as several of my friends work for these firms.

BCG is expanding a lot lately, their office now counts 600+ consultants in Dubai (which is just enormous), up from around 400 just one and a half years ago. The growth has of course halted due to the pandemic, but will shortly resume.

I can confirm that Bain's reputation in terms of culture in Dubai is not very positive, I know a few people who got hired there from smaller consultancies and eventually went back to their previous firms after 1 year or so. Probably not recommended as I understand that you're situation is similar.

Kearney has an exceptionally strong hub in Dubai for the Middle East and offers a great package in financial terms, but still lags behind the other two in terms of brand recognition (and the prices they charge to clients for resources are way lower than MBB).

In terms of projects and work-life balance, you can expect very similar experiences from these firms, aside from the culture-wise considerations I made for Bain.

However, my feeling is that BCG can offer more high-level exposure and better opportunities for growth right now. As I said the office has a crazy growth rate with many partners and MDs and a great deal of high-level projects in Saudi Arabia fueling the business.

Hope it helps, feel free to reach out for any question about consulting in Dubai!

Cheers,

Gianmarco

Hey there,

Considering network, prestige, types of projects, exit opportunities, staffing model, I'd definitely go with BCG out of your options in the ME.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi, first of all, congrats on the hat-trick! I'd go with Kearney or BCG. I confirm Kearney is very strong in ME and I would seriously consider the offer. Bain has not a good reputation, while BCG has the most established office.
Consider in your decision model also the feedback of people you know, the interview process experience, and the offer.

Best,
Anto

I would place BCG at the top where although smaller, they are comparable to McKinsey in terms of client reputation and presence. They would be followed by Kearney who I have also heard are one of the strongest outside McKinsey and BCG, especially after Booz, who was very strong in the region, was acquired by PwC and all the top talent were poached elsewhere. I would put Bain last as unfortunately they are sub-scale in the region.

Hi there,

taking into consideration prestige, exit opportunities, the expansion etc, I'd go with BCG.

Cheers, GB