Charles River Associates reputation/prestige
I'd love to hear more about what the reputation of CRA is, particularly in the strategy space. They don't really seem to be considered a T2, but are also have relatively large European/US presence (compared to a single office boutique). Also seem to offer a wide range of services (strategy, policy, legal) in a wide range of industries (energy, life sciences). I know they are often considered an 'economic consulting' firm, but I'd be interested in hearing what they're reputation is outside of that (ie in specific industries like energy or LS)
They're definitely a top econ consulting firm. But for strategy? They wouldn't really cross my mind at all. Unsure what "strategy" services they would even offer. Bunch of folks there are Econ PhDs, so very smart and extremely capable, but not really strategy-oriented (vs. an MBB or a typical T2).
Currently work at CRA so can shine some light. The Life Sciences consulting practice is considered ZS’s direct competitor (if you know who they are). Energy Practice is strong in the space with industry specialty but both groups did layoff people in the last 2 years (the chopping is done though)
Would you say the LS practice does strategy work, or is it more long-term / management projects?
CRA is an interesting place. The Competition practice, which operates in the most traditional parts the Econ consulting industry, is top of the market in that space. Then you have the other practices which are almost like independent boutique consultancies (Energy, Life Sciences, random stuff like Forensic Accounting, etc.) all attached to the CRA brand. There’s very little overlap between practices beyond sharing an office space — it is not like AG where juniors will work in different areas. Competition was overworked pulling 60+ hr weeks while LS and energy were laying people off. Makes sense from a corporate perspective why you would want to diversify your service offerings, but it makes assigning an overall “reputation” to the firm a bit difficult. Overall it is a strong brand and a good place to work, but you really need to dig into the practices individually to get a feel for the people and the work.
Ignore the job title, idk how to change it. They do strategy work in Energy (tends to be more technical in nature than industrials or consumer goods). An example project is strategic vision for a big tech company: what kind of personnel they need on hand given the data center boom and need to engage directly in power markets, whether buying power behind the meter is a good strategic move, investment in SMRs or nuclear restarts, environmental commodities, etc.
No clue about Life Sciences but ik it's a competitive group up in Boston.
another example: IRPs for utilities -- requires a lot of specialized knowledge. Might work with another consulting firm on these.
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