Is Corporate Development Different From Business Development?

Hi,

I was doing some reading and/ stumbled upon a division in finance called "business development" which doesn't seem 100% the same as "corporate development". Now, as stupid as this sounds, I read the two pages on wiki and it seems that business development seems more like something a consultant does: namely doing due diligence, researching the broad scope of the environment and working with the business holistically to make decisions (akin to management) while corporate dev seems like a very finance-heavy, M&A-oriented work. Is this a fair assessment or am I way off? If they are separate groups, what would be the way to get into business development as I think this seems more interesting than corporate development? I'd imagine MBB consulting would be an obvious feeder, but any others?

11 Comments
 

really depends on the company. business development is a very large umbrella. in some companies, corp dev. is internal m&a. some companies, internal m&a falls under corporate finance. in some companies all of what u described is under one group. regardless, u geenrally need some work experience in ib/consulting

"I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people"
 

At my consulting firm, we have a position called Business Development Executive, and these guys are responsible for bringing in clients.

-MBP
 

Odio adipisci architecto non sed totam modi commodi. Est est atque culpa eligendi dolore temporibus. Voluptas eius mollitia est error. Praesentium itaque consequatur voluptatem quos debitis molestiae. Itaque omnis sit distinctio non quo officia aut. Id et assumenda atque voluptatem. Rem et iure incidunt quis.

Vero ullam dolorem quia minus assumenda animi illo. Error numquam sint maxime nemo blanditiis exercitationem rerum. Nobis ratione placeat quos. Corrupti enim ut voluptatem odio. Fugiat nisi sunt eveniet dolor iste adipisci hic ipsum. Officiis possimus qui ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”