I have talked to a few folks who worked for the firms mentioned in the title and had a question for all the prospective monkeys out there... Any thoughts on which consulting firms do interesting work without the independence issues (excluding MBB) of the firms in the title that are now owned by the Big 4?
I think most folks on here would prefer to work for a smaller independent firm that does interesting work (read: no 1.5 year post-merger integration projects) than the typical Big 4 audit firms projects. I think LEK (no new news there) or Oliver Wyman (though it is owned by a large company) fit the bill. Additionally, there are a few other regional ones such as The Cambridge Group (based in Chicago) that also do some pretty interesting work.
Any other suggestions from current / prospective consultants?
Independence issues can occasionally be a problem, but it's probably not as bad as you're imagining it to be. Don't turn down Deloitte S&O, Strategy&, or EY-Parthenon just because you "have to" work for a Big 4 firm.
That said- Marakon and AT Kearney stick out in my mind as fantastic boutique firms. Marakon focuses more on pure strategy and leadership issues, while AT Kearney is a star in operations. You can't go wrong with either.
Hope that helps!
Great, thanks @itsalwayssunnyinflorida" - I'm not actually anywhere near as down on the B4 as some other folks on this site, but was just curious if others had insights into other smaller firms that may not be as well known.
Appreciate your insight - I'm pretty familiar with ATK but will look more into Marakon.
Every merger is different- and every company keeps a different level of independence when acquired. Some operate together, some separately, some very separately. This often depends on the financial situation of the firm when it is acquired. Just because something is owned by one of the big ones, doesn't mean it is a Big4- and it doesn't make them all the same thing.
Monitor-Deloitte operates differently from Strategy&- which operates differently from Parthenon-EY. I recommend you don't clump them together. It's not my place to say/speculate how exactly all three operate differently, since I don't have experience with all of them. Although from my research after recruiting this year, I encourage you to check out the individual websites (www.strategyand.PwC.com, www.parthenon.ey.com, etc) to understand for yourself how the firms operate, attend the relevant info sessions, and talk to more people who currently work there. By doing this, I developed a good sense of what was going on and it became pretty clear where the best place for me to be was depending on the different stories I heard from each firm.
Instead of asking 'what's left' rather than 'what's next', you fail to understand why these combinations happen and what they often bring to the table for you. I turned down Marakon + similar firm for a boutique acquired by Big4 that you mentioned, and some classmates who interned at the firms you mentioned (ATK, LEK, OW, etc) did the same. Arguably, if done correctly, being at a boutique contained in a Big4 allows you to focus almost purely on strategy projects since partners are not concerned about money to bring in via implementation. This has its pros and cons since maybe some would say operational experience is also valuable.
Again, I reemphasize that this is done differently in all situations- some integrate completely, some very little, some in the middle. Anyways, hopefully this long post does encourage you to think a bit differently and open more options for yourself.
To answer your question directly: Cambridge Group as you mentioned, Roland Berger Strategy consultants, and then there are industry specific ones like IMS for healthcare. And Deloitte, despite being 'big4', has a great S&O practice so don't discount it.
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