EY-Parthenon or RB London

EY-Parthenon London Roland Berger strategy consulting
New answer on Dec 07, 2021
4 Answers
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Olivia asked on Dec 06, 2021

Just received offers from both firms in their London offices. Can't decide which one to join! 

Heard RB is a bit smaller in London (80ppl). It traditionally focuses more on aerospace & PE. However, it is on a great growth trajectory and just hired several new partners in consumer goods to expand their industry focus. (heard it had a hard time growing because its more of a German firm) 

EY-Parthenon is much bigger (300ppl), has a great culture and also more diversified in terms of industries. Also heard the London office is growing at +30%… 

Top criteria for me to consider would be 

1. mix of projects - heard RB focuses more on the “traditional” type of strategy consulting, whereas EY- P does a lot more due diligence, which is much more demanding and fast-paced… 

2. culture and work life balance 

3. exit options - is one more prestigious than the other? 

 

They both seem like fantastic places to start off one's career and I am having a hard time deciding, would love to hear your insights! 

 

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Pedro
Expert
replied on Dec 06, 2021
30% off in April 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

I've worked for both (but not in London).

1. Mix of projects

EY-P has a very strong focus on commercial due dilligence work. It's more demanding (in terms of working hours and constant availability) and fast-paced, but usually requires no travel, and you don't have to be on the client (which also means some flexibility if you need to something in between meetings / deliverables). I actually prefer DD work by far, but the skillset that you gain is not as broad. But read with a grain of salt, EY-P is doing strategy work as well.

EY-P is also particularly strong in education, in media and consumer goods. Roland Berger will be stronger in industrials or any heavy industry (automotive, chemicals, manufacturing, …) 

2.1 Culture 

I suggest you do some networking on this one. Local office culture varies quite a bit in these two firms. Both have very high quality people.

2.2. Work life balance 

As you can deprehend from my answer in point 1., it isn't like one is better than the other. It is actually that you'll find balance on differing aspects.

3. exit options - is one more prestigious than the other?
I would say that Roland Berger is more prestigious, unless you are planning investment roles (PE, …)

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Olivia on Dec 07, 2021

Thank you very much for the detailed answer Pedro! It brings a new perspective on the difference in the nature of work in DD and strategy work. In terms of industry I think RB is trying to expand a lot more in consumer goods in London. I will for sure do more research in terms of the local office culture. I'm not planning on doing investment roles in the future, so in this light maybe RB makes more sense. But overall thanks again :) It brings clarity to the choice I'm going to make.

Adi
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replied on Dec 07, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience
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Olivia on Dec 07, 2021

Thank you!!! I'll have a look :)

Ian
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replied on Dec 07, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

What a great problem to have - you can't go wrong here!

I can't beat Pedro's answer :P but I will just say, if you have a chance to network a bit, visit the offices, talk to a few people at both firms, etc. you'll have a bit more to go off of as well in understanding all of your questions.

Good luck with the decision!

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Clara
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replied on Dec 07, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

None is going to give you a better insight than Pedro here!

What I would add is, try to think about what you want longer term, since that is going to help you see what aligns better in the short term. 

Cheers, 

Clara

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Olivia on Dec 07, 2021

Thanks Clara! I think long term I would want to exit into industry and not investment roles. However EY-P does have an industry mix that I'm more interested in, so it will be a tough one :)

Pedro gave the best answer

Pedro

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