Top Consulting Firms – Best Consulting Firms to Work For

Getting a job in a consulting firm is an excellent idea if you love providing tailored advice to businesses to help them succeed. This market contains many premier consulting firms that offer a wealth of employment opportunities for new grads and experienced consultants alike.

It's hard to decide which consultancy is the best to work within. We've compiled this list of some top consulting firms by analyzing different metrics, including work-life balance, diversity, culture, annual revenue, and more. You can use this information to choose the correct management consulting firm for your career. Let's explore.

What Is The Role of Top Consulting Firms?

Consulting firms provide management advice and consulting services, including strategy consulting, financial services, technology consulting services, and more. These businesses offer recommendations for corporate strategy and help to improve the overall business outlook.

Consulting firms operate in multiple industries and are vital for improving business outcomes within a global market. Prestigious consulting firms provide in-house experts to advise companies and may work in numerous industries. Other top consultancies are highly niched and provide tailored advice for one sector.

How Are Consulting Firms Categorized?

Multiple categories distinguish consultancies from one another. It's essential to be aware of these categories when deciding which type of consulting firm would suit your career. Here are the different categories that identify top consulting firms:

The Big 3 - MBB

The big 3 are the most prestigious consulting firms in the consulting industry. Known as MBB, it refers to:

  1. McKinsey & Company,
  2. Boston Consulting Group Inc and
  3. Bain & Company.

Consultants that work for these firms are some of the best paid, and these companies are all known for their generous benefits. McKinsey, BCG, and Bain are growing fast and all offer graduate programs or graduate roles, which is excellent news for students looking to start their careers in the consulting industry.

McKinsey, BCG, and Bain are three names that carry a lot of weight within the industry. These consulting firms are often the first to come to mind when asked about the top consulting firms, which are recognized worldwide.

Tier 2 Consulting Firms

Tier 2 consists of large, globalized strategy consulting firms that offer a broad range of services. Operating around the world, Tier 2 consulting firms work with big clients and are prestigious, although less prestigious than MBB.

Tier 2 is also slightly more affordable than MBB. However, that doesn't make them any less professional. All of the companies within this tier offer reasonable remuneration and benefits, and many provide graduate roles for students. Some of the most well-known names within this tier include:

Big 4 Consulting Firms

These are the consulting branches of top accounting firms, including

  1. KPMG,
  2. Deloitte,
  3. PwC and
  4. EY.

Again, plenty of these firms offer graduate opportunities, excellent remuneration, and competitive benefits.

Big 4 consulting firms work with various clients and offer extensive opportunities for promotions and lateral moves.

Boutique Consulting Firms

Boutique consulting firms are specialized and are often smaller than the above firms. They are often very niched and operate within a specific market, providing tailored advice to businesses operating within their niche.

Boutique consulting firms can offer services tailored for healthcare, non-profit organizations, and many more. Examples of boutique consulting firms include:

  • Putnam Associates
  • Keystone Group
  • ClearView Healthcare Partners
  • Insight Sourcing Group
  • ghSMART
  • Clarkston Consulting

It's essential to decide which category of consulting firm best suits your personality. Choosing the suitable corporation for you will help you achieve the career success you deserve.

What Should You Look For in Consulting Firms?

Deciding where to take the next step in your consulting career can be overwhelming. There are plenty of consultancies out there for you to work for, and there are pros and cons to accepting a job at each of them.

It's essential to make the right decision when deciding where to work next. Here are some important things you should look for in your consulting firm employer:

Most Prestigious Consulting Firms to Work For

We've compiled a list of some of the top consulting firms to work for. We've analyzed the following components in compiling this list:

  • prestige
  • annual revenue
  • culture
  • work-life balance
  • employee satisfaction 
  • diversity
  • career growth

Here is our list of the top management consulting firms to work for in 2024:

MBB

Information on the Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group is one of the MBB (Big 3) management consulting firms. This firm has a lot of prestige and offers premier consulting services to some big clients. Major clients they've worked with include Sanofi, Thales, BMW and Phizer.

Prestige

The Boston Consulting Group is one of the biggest names in the consulting industry. As of 2023, this firm boasts over 30.000 employees in over 50 countries. They are also known for their commitment to social impact and completed over 900 social impact consulting projects in 2020 alone.

BCG is a consulting practice that has solidified its standing as one of the most prestigious firms in the world. It is also one of the largest consulting firms operating today.

Annual Revenue:

In 2020, the Boston Consulting Group brought in annual revenue of $8.6billion. In 2022 BCG had a revenue over $11.1billion. As one of the largest consulting firms, Boston Consulting Group works with premier clients including Commonwealth Bank, Nissan, and OEM.

BCG operates in a variety of industries, including Aerospace, Automotive, Education, Retail, Healthcare, and many more. This means they offer a wealth of opportunities for consultants interested in working in multiple sectors and pull in a lot of revenue from these markets.

Culture:

The culture of this consulting firm encourages creative and innovative thinking more than many major competitors. Clients and employees at this consulting firm enjoy a bottom-up approach to engagement, which means collaboration and teamwork are actively encouraged among employees.

Unfortunately, consultants don't get any say in their hours.

BCG is known for its positive workplace culture compared to other consulting firms. However, there is an expectation for employees to work long hours.

Work-life Balance:

As aforementioned, employees don't get much say in their hours at this consulting firm. This firm expects long hours from its employees, and only senior ranks get to negotiate their hours. There are protections in place for junior employees, as well.

According to employee reviews on Glassdoor, the key negatives to working for this consulting firm are the long hours, low work-life balance, and extensive travel commitments.

Employee Satisfaction:

On Glassdoor, this consulting practice has received over 8.500 votes and maintains a rating of 4.4/5 stars. Many employees agree that BCG is one of the best consulting firms for starting your career. In over 600 reviews, employees cite that the variety of people and 'great people' you work alongside is the crucial factor for this positive employee satisfaction.

Diversity:

This prestigious consulting firm is renowned for its exceptional diversity policies. It has many diversity policies and agendas and promotes the employment of ethnic minorities and veterans. This top consulting firm also has a lot of initiatives for women.

Career Growth:

Many employee reviews cite this company as an exceptional place to start your career. Promotional opportunities, lateral moves, and other career growth opportunities are rife. This management consulting firm also offers many options for professional development, and learning is incorporated into daily activities.

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company is one of the MBB firms and is globally recognized as one of the most prestigious organizations operating within the industry. McKinsey offers a competitive culture and has amassed a large amount of consulting revenue. For a good reason, McKinsey is one of the top firms on this list.

Prestige:

McKinsey Company has solidified its status as the most prestigious consulting company operating within this space. This consulting firm's focus is on cutting-edge strategy, which has helped solidify its position as one of the top firms.

McKinsey works with many industries, including life sciences, financial services, risk management, human resources, and other practice areas.

Annual Revenue:

McKinsey Company is estimated to bring in US $10 billion in annual consulting revenue every year. McKinsey doesn't disclose financial data. As of 2021, they currently have over 30,000 employees. In 2022 McKinsey had over 45.000 employees.

Culture:

McKinsey & Company has a very competitive culture. McKinsey has an elite status in this industry and often has high expectations for its consultants. The client always comes first. There is an expectation that teams will go above and beyond for the client.

Many employees enjoy the collaborative culture at McKinsey, with employees on Glassdoor listing their coworkers as some of the highlights of working here. Colleagues provide feedback to one another to ensure growth, and upward feedback is encouraged.

McKinsey also puts a lot of effort into matching staff to projects. Your individual needs will be considered to ensure you are a good fit for the project. This is an aspect of the culture at McKinsey that many enjoy.

Work-life Balance:

The work-life balance at McKinsey is one of the critical complaints employees had about working here. Current employees state that the pace, workload, and intense feedback culture are incredibly stressful at the time.

Further, there is a lot of travel at McKinsey, and whilst there are plenty of perks that come with this, it can be hard on families. Extended workdays are the norm at this strategic consulting firm, which can also impact work-life balance.

Employee Satisfaction:

Overall, employees report a positive experience working at McKinsey. Many say it's the best place to kickstart your consulting career, and its prestige within the industry is a definite perk.

There are plenty of training opportunities available. There is a lot of cross-country collaboration within McKinsey, which means you have plenty of opportunities to meet consultants from around the world.

McKinsey has over 11,000 reviews on Glassdoor and an average employer rating of 4.2/5 stars. Employees ' common negatives are the immense pressure, intense workload, strict deadlines, long hours, extensive travel, and feedback culture.

Diversity:

McKinsey has created some diversity initiatives. However, this company prefers candidates from prestigious universities, including Yale, Oxford, and Harvard. This has an impact on the diversity of this company.

Many employees on Glassdoor cited a lack of diversity as a key negative for working here.

Career Growth:

There are plenty of opportunities to grow your career within McKinsey. Employees start as Junior Analysts and work their way up to Senior Partner. Usually, employees spend 1-3 years in each role.

McKinsey has a competitive culture, so expect to compete with your coworkers for promotions, raises, and other perks. McKinsey rewards high performers well.

Bain & Company

Bain & Company

Bain & Company is an MBB firm and is one of the most prestigious strategy consulting firms in this market. Founded in 1973 by previous Boston Consulting Group employee Bill Bain, this firm has grown a powerhouse in the consulting world.

Prestige:

Bain & company is incredibly prestigious. Bain & company boasts over 12,000 employees and operates around the world.

Annual Revenue:

According to Forbes, this company made USD 4.3 billion in revenue in 2022. They operate in the business services & supplies industry and offer a wealth of tailored advice for companies in many industries.

One of the perks for working for this company includes the big name, multinational clients that Bain & Company works with. The reputation of this firm means they attract premier clients.

Culture:

Bain is renowned for its fun culture. Staff tend to have a lot more say in decisions than other prestigious firms. Staff are rewarded and recognized for good work, with regular raises of up to 50% being commonplace.

Leadership here is praised for being good at their jobs and proactive. Employees report feeling highly valued by all tiers of management. The supportive culture and commitment to professional development make this firm a great starting place for your consulting career.

As with all prestigious firms, the culture can be competitive. The interview process can be competitive, and prospects should expect to be challenged during the process. The company prioritizes hiring young graduates, so potential candidates should prepare for an analytical thinking test, a case study interview, and multiple interviews in person.

Work-life Balance:

The work hours can be very long, and frequent travel is the reality of working for Bain. Some employees say that the hour demands for Bain are less than competitors and the flexible working hours are a definite plus.

The health and wellness benefits offered by Bain & Company are extensive and a key positive for some employees working here. Employee assistance programs, IVF/fertility reimbursement, gym membership, adoption assistance, paid volunteer leave, bereavement leave, and stock options are all benefits offered by Bain & Company for employees.

Employee Satisfaction:

Bain & Company has overwhelmingly positive employee reviews. According to Fortune, Bain ranked in the top 100 best companies to work for in 2021 and has also featured on the list numerous times in the past couple of years. According to Glassdoor, Bain & Company has over 7.000 ratings and a total of 4.4 out o 5 stars.

Diversity:

Bain supports LBGTQI+ employment and has been named as one of the best employers for LBGTQI individuals. Bain supports human rights initiatives around the world, including reconciliation in Australia.

Bain also has a variety of programs for minority groups, including Asians at Bain, Veterans at Bain, Women at Bain and more.

Career Growth:

Bain's career growth opportunities are immense, and employees report receiving regular raises. There are six levels for employees to move through. Employees tend to become Partners at Bain after 6-8 years post-grad school. You can find more information on the levels at the three MBB firms here.

Tier 2 Firms

Accenture logo

Accenture

Accenture is a Tier 2 firm that has locations around the world. This consulting firm offers a wealth of opportunities for new graduates and experienced consulting professionals alike.

Prestige:

Accenture is a consulting firm that was founded in the 1950s. Accenture has been a leading provider of technology consulting services and offers strategy consulting, management consulting, and operations services.

With over 733,000 employees as of 2023, with operations in over 200 cities and 50 countries, this management consulting firm is an industry powerhouse. Accenture is renowned for working with exclusive clients.

Some of the biggest names they've worked with include BHP, Coles, and the majority of the Fortune 500 companies. Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, and Workday are some of the leading technology organizations that partner with this consulting firm.

Annual Revenue:

With big-name clients comes big annual revenue, and Accenture is a true testament to this. In the 2023 fiscal year (ending August 2023), this consulting giant made US$64.1 billion in revenue. Accenture has the prestige to be highly selective with its clients and only partners with industry leaders.

Culture:

Accenture records a generally positive work culture. This consulting firm values innovation, agility, and diversity. Many graduates report working with kind coworkers and having plenty of opportunities to check-in, which is great for students looking to start their career in consulting.

Accenture holds plenty of out-of-hours events, but there are no pressures to attend them. Teamwork is encouraged, and superiors have most of the decision-making power but are open to input from lower-level staff.

Work-life Balance:

Accenture offers a lot of flexibility for employees, which ensures a better work-life balance. Flexible schedules, telecommuting, study leave, parental leave and client-site flexibility are all work-life balance perks this company offers.

Overtime isn't mandatory. However, successful consultants will have to put in additional hours often. Parental leave at this consulting firm in an incredible 18 weeks, which parents will enjoy.

Employee Satisfaction:

Overall, employees are satisfied working for this company. There are many professional development opportunities for employees, especially those interested in growing their knowledge in the technology sector. This solidifies Accenture as one of the top consulting firms for employee satisfaction.

Diversity:

Accenture has dedicated a lot of time and energy to ensuring a diverse workforce. As of 2023, Accenture offers dollar-for-dollar equal pay between men and women in their workforce. They also have programs in place to support LBGTQI workers, are striving for a gender-balanced workforce by 2025, and have extensive mental health programs to support their employees.

Career Growth:

Accenture is one of many top consulting firms that offer employees a wealth of career growth opportunities. This organization has linear career growth, and they prioritize developing young talent.

Oliver Wyman Logo

Oliver Wyman

Mercer Oliver Wyman, Mercer Management Consulting, and Mercer Delta Mercer Oliver Wyman were merged in 2007 to form Oliver Wyman. This firm is rapidly growing and is quickly becoming one of the top consulting firms to work at for Millennials, new graduates, and parents.

Prestige:

Oliver Wyman currently has over 6,000 staff and in 2023, made USD 2.5billion in consulting revenue.

One of the top strategy and management consulting firms, Oliver Wyman, features prominently in tier-one rankings, including Forbes. Financial services, aviation, and retail are some of the areas where the consultancy excels.

Culture:

This firm is renowned for having a fun culture. Feedback is encouraged, and employees work together to lift each other. The organization encourages individuality and freedom of expression.

However, a sense of loyalty is present within this company's culture, and long workdays can be expected.

Work-life Balance:

The working environment here can be intense, as it is rapidly growing and works closely with the financial sector. The average hours worked per week for Oliver Wyman employees is approximately 71 hours.

Employee Satisfaction:

Employees tend to rate their working experience at Oliver Wyman positively. 95% of employees would recommend this workplace to a friend.

Diversity:

Oliver Wyman is passionate about being an inclusive employer. They offer a wealth of colleague engagements and employee network groups to improve diversity.

Career Growth:

As part of the Oliver Wyman growth model, such factors as past performance and current performance are heavily weighed over time spent in a given role. Growth is rapid, and you don't need a postgraduate degree to work in leadership roles.

Big 4 Firms

Deloitte Logo

Deloitte

Deloitte Consulting LLP offers strategy consulting, risk advisory, and other consulting services to help improve the overall business outlook. Deloitte Consulting LLP operates in many industries, including life sciences, healthcare, energy, and more.

Prestige:

Deloitte Consulting LLP is a member of the big four accounting firms and is recognized as a leading consulting firm.

As of 2023, Deloitte has over 457,000 employees. Consulting is one of the major services that this valued brand is renowned for. It has frequently been named #1 in the market share for consulting due to its vital operations in nations like India.

Annual Revenue:

In 2023, Deloitte made over USD 64.9billion in the fiscal year.

Culture:

Deloitte is renowned for having a younger culture compared to other firms. Collaboration is encouraged readily, and flexible work arrangements are available. Some past employees say that the culture can become cliquey, and management can feel disconnected.

Overwhelmingly, employees state that getting to work with bright, motivated talent and working collaboratively with others are the key perks to the culture at Deloitte. Communication and feedback within the organization are direct.

Work-life Balance:

Previous employees commonly cite long hours and extensive travel commitments as the key downsides to working at Deloitte. You may be expected to work weekends and overtime without pay, which can be a major downside.

Deloitte has pioneered some initiatives to help improve the work-life balance within the organization. Parents can benefit from 26 weeks of maternity leave and up to 4 weeks of paid paternity leave. Deloitte also provides individual and group coaching for parents.

Part-time work opportunities are vast (80% of roles offer part-time opportunities), and remote work opportunities are available. Employees have access to unpaid leave for up to 6 months and can purchase additional holiday leave.

Employees enjoy access to a free, comprehensive fitness program, mental health initiatives like headspace, and free webinars on mindset and wellbeing throughout the year.

Employee Satisfaction:

There is a turnover issue at this company, especially with younger employees. Many employees cite the competitive work culture and high travel demands to leave.

There are plenty of opportunities for professional growth. Deloitte offers staff plenty of free resources and formal training for team members. The firm culture is geared towards excellence, and Deloitte offers numerous programs focused on encouraging excellence with their staff.

Diversity:

Deloitte Consulting LLP offers plenty of equal opportunities employment options and is known for being an incredibly inclusive workplace for women and parents. However, there are few initiatives for minority groups, veterans, and LBGTQI+ individuals.

Career Growth:

Expect to spend an average of 2-3 years in each role. There are six levels to progress through when working at Deloitte. Career growth is fairly linear.

KPMG Logo

KPMG

One of the Big 4 Accounting firms, KPMG, is a reputable consulting firm that works with big clients.

Prestige:

KPMG is highly recognized in the financial industry and boasts over 273,000 employees. Operating in over 146 countries and territories, this consulting firm is known for being one of the best providers of risk management services.

KPMG has worked with high-profile clients including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Monarch Airlines, The Dutch Government, and more. KPMG's stellar reputation within the industry is what attracts premier clientele to engage with their services.

Annual Revenue:

KPMG made USD 36 billion in the 2020 fiscal year. Cyber services and legal services remain two of the most in-demand consulting services KPMG offers.

Culture:

KPMG's culture is centered around inclusivity, innovation, and collaboration. Many employees enjoy the wealth of opportunities to learn new things, feel appreciated by KPMG, and enjoy the inclusive nature of the work environment.

Competition is encouraged, and employees can earn bonuses and other benefits from good performance.

Work-life Balance:

KPMG offers flexible working arrangements, but long hours can be commonplace. The workload can be significant to meet client demands, and there is some level of competition within this organization that can increase stress.

KPMG does offer benefits like financial and leaves assistance for postgraduate study, salary packaging, flexible work arrangements, paid parental leave, and career breaks. However, these benefits aren't as good as other consulting firms discussed within this list.

Employee Satisfaction:

There are over 39,000 reviews for KPMG on Glassdoor, and the company reports a 3.8 out of 5 stars rating. Positives noted by past and current employees include the great work environment, positive culture, and CEO.

However, the size of the firm, low pay compared to peers, and long work hours are significant negatives that reduce employee happiness at this firm.

Diversity:

KPMG has inclusive hiring practices and backs human rights initiatives.

Career Growth:

KPMG offers a wealth of opportunities for those just starting in their career. However, the low remuneration is a key turnoff for employees.

EY Logo

EY

Ernst & Young, better known by its abbreviation EY, is one of the four largest auditing firms in the world in terms of revenue and is one of the so-called Big Four. EY operates in the areas of auditing, tax consulting, transaction consulting, and risk and financial advisory, among others. It is also a global management consulting firm.

Prestige:

EY employs over 395,000 people worldwide and maintained its market-leading position as a tax consultancy in Germany in 2023.

Recently, EY was awarded the "Highest Quality" seal in the management consulting category. A study by the FAZ Institute ranked the company as one of the leaders in the industry in terms of the quality of its work. 

Culture:

EY's culture revolves around three main commitments: diversity, inclusivity, and human rights. To underscore the heightened focus, EY has drafted three statements signed by Global Executive. In addition, they have also formulated three core values, which essentially encompass the three commitments, but also other values such as respect, teamwork, and enthusiasm.

The feeling of personal appreciation and the inclusive work environment are the clear advantages of working at EY, according to a survey. In addition, their employees particularly like that they are constantly able to learn new things. 

Work-life Balance:

EY values a healthy work-life balance and aims to ensure this for its employees through flexible working practices.

However, several reviews from employees show that there is still room for improvement, especially in the busiest months from August to the end of March, when employees can work up to 60 hours per week. 

Employee Satisfaction:

The feeling of personal appreciation, an inclusive work environment, and the ability to learn new things – these are the top 3 benefits of working at EY, according to reviews from current or former EY employees.

However, areas, where the company should make improvements, are the general feeling of work happiness and the sense of belonging. In addition, employees rate the work tasks as very energy-sapping.

Diversity:

For EY, diversity means differences. These differences include above all nationality, background, education, gender, ethnicity, generation, age, working and thinking styles, religious background, sexual orientation, abilities, experiences, and technical skills. Furthermore, there are also differences according to geography, service line, sector, and function.

In its day-to-day work, EY places great emphasis on living inclusivity and creating a work environment where all people, with their differences, feel comfortable and valued. The goal is to use differences to achieve the best possible results with regard to the company. 

Career Growth:

Career development is a top priority at EY, and that starts with interns and young professionals. The company is almost uniformly seen in the reviews as a great place to start your own career because you are given the opportunity to work with many people, network with them and thus learn a lot.

This supportive environment extends through all career levels, so EY overall is recommended as a company for a career in consulting.

PwC Logo

PwC

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a German company based in Frankfurt (Main). The service areas that PwC primarily serves are auditing and tax consulting as well as traditional corporate and management consulting. In addition, PwC is also active as a transaction advisor and in corporate finance.

Prestige:

As part of the Big Four, PwC, with its 295,000 employees worldwide (12,000 of them are employed in Germany), further consolidated its position as the leading audit and advisory firm in the German market in the 2021 financial year. 

Annual Revenue:

PwC Germany generated total revenue of €2.39 billion in the past financial year (ending June 30, 2021). This corresponds to a growth of 1.5 percent compared with the previous year (2020: €2.35 billion). Globally, sales were approximately $45.1 billion, an increase of 2% over the previous year.

Culture:

PwC promotes agile ways of working, the use and development of new technologies, and changed methods to drive the cultural change process in the long term. Particular emphasis is placed on individual ideas and each employee is given a basic level of trust, for example in the organization of their own working hours.

This approach is so well received by employees that PwC has been named the most popular employer in the industry eight times in a row.

Work-life Balance:

PwC has chosen the term work-life choice in its company. This means that every employee can determine for themselves what the optimum work-life balance is for them. 

According to the employees, this flexible working is lived and also expected in the company. Nevertheless, a high level of commitment and flexibility is a basic requirement. 

Employee Satisfaction:

A well-known application platform has summarized the results of many thousands of employee evaluations of PwC and has come to the following conclusion: What they like most about their employer is the supportive and inclusive work environment, as well as the ability to learn new things.

The general feeling of work happiness and Energizing work tasks were identified as areas for improvement.

Diversity:

PwC Germany is clearly committed to diversity and variety and consistently lives the idea of inclusivity. This is also reflected in some of the figures published by the company. As of 2021, the average age is 36.3 years, there are 44% women in the company and 13% of the partners are female.

In addition, people of 84 different nationalities work at PwC. However, the company does not only measure itself by these figures, because for PwC diversity also includes dimensions such as skin color, cultural imprint, mental and physical abilities, and sexual identity. 

Career Growth:

According to the company evaluations, the consultancy offers particularly good career entry opportunities, for example for students or graduates. These young professionals are offered a promising perspective if they show the necessary initiative and the desired ambition.

However, many then leave the company again after 1-2 years in order to develop themselves further.

Do you have questions on this blog article?
Contribute to our Q&A forum and ask the community your question!
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely