Hey A,

First of all, my congratulations to your offer!

Now it’s the best time for you to relax a bit, since you are in the unique position, when you are sure about the future and this future has not come yet.

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.

Well, if you are Lebanese, or at least Arabic-speaking it’s a perfect fit! If not, there might be some cultural issues.

Stategy& was previously known as Booz before it was acquired by PWC in mid 2010th. Previously MBB was actually MBBB – it was McK, BCG, Bain and Booz.

Therefore, historically seen it’s a top-tier firm, especially in the Middle East, where BCG is currently the strongest one, followed by Strategy &, but McKinsey and especially Bain are weaker than some of the tier2 companies (Kearney, Oliver Wymann and Roland Berger).

All-in it’s a great choice to start your career. You will quickly learn the variety of industries and topics. The company is also able to sponsor your MBA (i.e. INSEAD, LBS, etc.).

Your exit options in the region would be great, however not internationally, because the company has lost most of its former prestige worldwide.

The cultural issue I mentioned is due to the “inshallah culture” – you will get a better understanding of it, when you start there. Since most of the partners are Lebanese, Arabic language is very common on the projects as a working language, which might create a barrier, if you are European for example. People are also “too flexible = very unreliable”.

Anyway, it a great start for you!

If you want, I can connect you to my mentees in the firm / in Dubai.

Best,

André

Congratulations on receiving an offer from Strategy& Dubai! As a seasoned strategy consultant with experience at Strategy& and knowledge of the Dubai office, I can provide some insights into the firm and its work culture.

Strategy& is a highly reputable consulting firm and a great place to start your career in strategy consulting. The firm is known for its rigorous problem-solving approach, emphasis on strategic thinking, and exposure to a wide range of industries and clients. Starting your career at Strategy& can provide you with a strong foundation in consulting methodologies and frameworks, as well as the opportunity to work on impactful projects that drive business transformation.

In terms of work culture, Strategy& fosters a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment. The firm values teamwork and encourages consultants to work together to solve complex business challenges. You can expect to work with talented and driven colleagues who are passionate about delivering high-quality results for clients.

Strategy& also places a strong emphasis on professional development and learning. The firm offers various training programs, mentorship opportunities, and resources to support your growth and advancement. You can expect to receive guidance and feedback from experienced consultants, which can accelerate your learning curve and help you develop your consulting skills.

It's worth noting that the work culture at Strategy& Dubai may have some regional nuances, given the Middle Eastern context. The office is known for its diverse and multicultural environment, with consultants from various backgrounds and nationalities. This can provide you with a unique perspective and exposure to different business dynamics in the region.

To gain more specific insights into the Strategy& Dubai office, I recommend reaching out to individuals who have worked there or connecting with current employees through professional networking platforms. They can provide firsthand experiences and give you a deeper understanding of the work culture and opportunities at the Dubai office.

Hi there,

Congrats on the offer!

First of all, you should feel free to try to hop on a call with someone from the office to better understand that. Nothing will be more useful than hearing from someone on the ground.

Second, you can't just say Middle East. McKinsey has 8 offices across 7 countries in the ME. The answer for UAE will be different to Egypt will be different to Pakistan.

That said, in general there is a large focus on Energy/O&G, Tourism, and Government/Public Sector.

Here's another Q&A on the topic: https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/strategy-middle-east-6788

Congrats on the offer !!

Strategy& has a pretty good reputation in the MiddleEast. However, it would be good to know at what level you are joining the firm.

At an entry level with Strategy& you can expect to scale and speed up to be a polished consultant pretty soon. Good performance is rewarded with fast track progressions and you would also get options outside the firm.

At an expereinced level it rests cross two things (1) your expectations to augment your experience and (2) the competency which you would joining.

I have friends working with the firm and as per them the firm bolsters a healthy work enviornment. Rest assured, after few years of experience you would be much better placed to explore exit options (if requried).

Please let me know if you need any more info. Will help you connect across.

Cheers

(edited)

Hello!

Congrats for the offer. What do you mean with "good firm to start your career at"? In which terms (e.g., money, pretige, working hours, variety of engagement topics, etc.)

I advise you to check Glassdoor, it can give you much of this info that I just mentioned.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hello,

Absolutely it is!

Here are my thoughts:

1) Brand: Excellent in the middle east, Tier 2 or 3 in other parts of the world

2) Engagements: Very strong in TMT, ‘good’ in other industries. I would say they do deal with a lot of Tier 1/Tier 2 clients in the region.

3) Exit options: In the middle east, you will have excellent exit options as they are well reputed (both within consulting and outside)

4) Salary: They pay higher than MBBs

5)  Culture: I have heard poor things about their Work Life Balance, but they are making efforts to change this. They also have a sense of comradarie amongs team members.

All the best!

Rushabh

“Is it easy to get into MBB after joining Strategy &?”

First, it is never easy. Is it easier?

Using Strategy& to go to MBB… is not a great stepping stone, to be honest, although that really depends on your starting point. 

If it improves your resume value significantly, it can help. Otherwise, not really. It can be just as hard as going from where you are to MBB.

The exception here is if you are looking to work for MBB in Dubai. In that case, moving to Dubai to work in consulting, can help. Both because you become a “local resource” and because once you're there you can use your time to network with people from MBB (and given the “expat market” characteristics of the location, networking is easier than in other places). 

I would not join Strategy& just to move into MBB later. There is no guarantee of such a move happening. If you are not happy with Strategy & do not join them in MEA, you will feel stuck and helpless.

Alternatively you can join with an open mind and see what it is like. Every office has nice people and mentors you can work with to learn and grow in your career.

First, if you have concerns about Strategy&'s culture, why did you apply for them?

Second, what do you mean by “bad culture”? It is a poorly defined term.

Third, moving from Strategy& to MBB is definitely possible. 

Forth, in ME Strategy& has a fantastic positioning, better than that of some of the MBB.

Hi Anonymous,

I didn't work at Strategy& but helped several people in their preparation for interviews there. Strategy& is a solid second-tier company and has a strong reputation in the Middle East. In general, exit options are not as good as MBB but you may be able to do a transition in MBB in the future if you want. To assess whether it is the best option at this stage, it would be useful to know which are the alternatives and your future goals.

Best,

Francesco

(edited)

In contradiction with a lot of answers on this post, if you do join Strategy & and get promoted over a couple of years of experience, you do have a high chance of joining MBB firms later on. The question is, will you want to? Strategy &'s culture might be slightly worse than MBB firms, but they do offer better compensation packages. In addition, a big portion of the current Bain partners in Dubai used to actually work at Strategy & and made the transition when they noticed they can have a bigger impact especially in the public sector given that they had amassed a strong portfolio and network over time. 

Hello,

I have not worked there but I heard absolutely positive feedback on Strategy&. I myself did the interviews for Strategy& for the Italian office.

Feel free to write me if you want any information that I could have,
Luca

Hi,

That's a very good option to start the career. You'll learn a lot and the quality of engagements will be high. The location is really good (no taxes). Later you will be able to make a transition to MBB

Best

Dubai offices in general have bad cultures (compared to European offices). 

I've submitted an application to S&, would you mind if I asked you some questions?

Congratulations on the offer!

There will be a lot of variety in experience in Strategy& ME. It is a huge office, I think ~500 people, so they will cover many practice areas and topics. 

I would reach out to the HR/recruitment contact and ask them to put you in contact with a current consultant for you to ask these questions. At BCG Middle East, offerees would be given a buddy for that specific purpose. 

Office culture will differ by specific office, so try to connect with someone for your specific offer location (i.e. Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, etc.) 

Also, leverage your network. Try looking on LinkedIn. Do you have any contacts currently or formerly at Strategy& ME. 

Probably the Middle East is one of the strongest geographies for Strategy&.

1. Despite the merge with PwC has somehow made less premium Strategy& positioning, it remains one of the leading consulting firms in ME;
2. The work culture doesn't have anything different from the work culture in other geographies, even if the relationship with the Clients can differ actually
3. The number of different nationalities you may find in the consulting offices of Dubai or Doha (for instance) is really high. Even if being an Arabic speaker is an advantage, there are plenty of expat working in the region.

Clearly the ME market is much different from a mature market, and this influence a lot the kind of project you could join over there (e.g., more growth strategy/market entry, less cost reduction)