Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Interview Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview

Are there any differences that makes consulting in South East Asia unique?

6
2.2k
22
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Clara
Coach
on Jun 14, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Actually, SEA is a very wide and heterogeneous area. 

For instance, Singapore has nothing to do with the rest of the offices, in terms of payroll, difficulties to get in, etc. 

Which KPIs are the ones that interest you? 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Ian
Coach
edited on Jun 14, 2020
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

I would say its variety of work and cultures.

  • You have developing countries (i.e. Philippines) and the most advanced nations (Singapore, Hongkong) all grouped together.
  • These countries have very different cultures and work experiences/expectations.
  • Furthermore, this also allows for diversity of industry exposure (oil & case, consumer products, finance, etc.)

You won't get this in, say, Europe, North America, or the Australia/New Zealand :)

edited on Oct 27, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

I worked in SEA for ~8+ years at both T2 and MBB. Sharing my perspective on how SEA is different from other markets (in particular developed markets).

  1. Maturity of the industry in the country/region
    • Generally - SEA is still a growth market and consulting is not as mature yet
    • Because of this, there is a higher chance of getting more ‘interesting’ projects vs very mature/saturated developed markets
    • At the same time, you may also get some types of projects which are quite ‘basic’ e.g. bringing client from 0 to 1 instead of from 3 to 5
  2. Make up of the local economy/industry landscape
    • There will be certain types of projects and clients that are more unique to SEA, for e.g. Family-owned conglomerates which form significant part of the local economies in some countries
  3. Office / unit organization
    • Very common for SEA to be treated as one business unit (formally or informally) and therefore you will have a high chance of travelling for work within SEA
    • This is very different from large mono-country business units (e.g. India, China, Japan etc)

Happy to answer in more detail to anyone interested in this - just drop me a dm!

on Oct 27, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach

This is a great networking question!

Yes, there are some. But you can get the best answers from consultants who actually work in the region. 

Here's how to identify target profiles and then start networking with them:


Best,

Cristian

———————————————

Practicing for interviews? Check out my latest case based on a first-round MBB interview >>> SoyTechnologies  

edited on Jun 16, 2020
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, I would add also the fact to be in a fast-growing economy, that let consulting truly working in strategy, big investments, and large transformation (differently from more consolidated countries, where the focus is now on operations, implementation, cost-saving, digitalization, ...)

Best,
Antonello

Luca
Coach
on Jun 15, 2020
BCG |NASA | SDA Bocconi & Cattolica partner | GMAT expert 780/800 score | 200+ students coached

Hello,

Generally speaking, consulting experience in a specific country depends on the local culture. Doing consultancy you will see, amplified, all the differences and details that you would encounter working in that country.

The areas that are more sensitive to the country are:

  • Project typologies (M&A, cost cutting, increasing revenues..)
  • Clients (especially public vs. non public sector)
  • Salaries (it can vary a lot among Asia)
  • Work culture (within the team and exposure with clients)
  • Timetable (work life balance)

Best,
Luca

Similar Questions
Consulting
Do consultants use AI for PowerPoint or excel or anywhere in the Process??
on Aug 24, 2024
Global
7
2.4k
Top answer by
Nilay
Coach
Former McKinsey Sr Engagement Manager | Trained McKinsey interviewer (100+ interviews, 500+ coaching sessions)
50
7 Answers
2.4k Views
+4
Consulting
What are the best tools to practice consulting maths?
on Jun 01, 2024
Global
9
8.2k
Top answer by
Deleted user
188
9 Answers
8.2k Views
+6
Consulting
How to answer what motivates you
on Aug 24, 2024
Global
6
14.9k
Top answer by
240
6 Answers
14.9k Views
+3
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
Thanks for your feedback! Your opinion helps us make PrepLounge even better.