Altas associate class 2026 solely from BB/EBs and Bain???
WTF? Altas' associate class this cycle was from Bain (2), CVP (1), JPM (1), Allen & Co (1) and Moelis (1).
It's so over for Big 5 bros
Based on the most helpful WSO content, Altas' associate class for 2026 indeed seems to have been sourced exclusively from top-tier backgrounds, including Bain (2), CVP (1), JPM (1), Allen & Co (1), and Moelis (1). This reflects a strong preference for candidates from elite boutiques (EBs), bulge brackets (BBs), and top consulting firms like Bain. It highlights the increasing competitiveness of private equity recruiting, where firms like Altas are prioritizing candidates with prestigious and highly selective professional experiences.
For those from the Big 5 consulting firms or other non-EB/BB backgrounds, this trend underscores the importance of networking, exceptional performance, and differentiating yourself in the recruiting process to break into such elite PE firms.
Sources: 2023 Consulting Tier List, 2023 Consulting Tier List, Q&A: Big4 Consulting to Private Equity, now M7 MBA, Q&A 2.0: 3rd Year BA/A/AC At MBB Going To UMM/MF This Summer, Future of Big 4 in strategy consulting
i rmr when they were hiring from pension funds not too long ago
literally last cycle took a OMERS infra
One way to hype up Altas lol
there one of the highest paying PE firms in Canada, so makes sense they're selective
Convinced unemployed Canadians contribute to half of LinkedIn activity in the world. No wonder that Farquhar guy has such high demands lmao.
lol FWIW they don’t really promote from within and their strategy doesn’t lend itself to needing a ton more ppl. Also the exits you see from there aren’t very sexy so ya it’s not like you’re missing out on much except for 2 years of feeling better about yourself due to prestige
out of curiosity, where do ppl from altas usually exit to? have seen mmpe, lmm pe, portco corp dev, am i missing anything else?
1st year associates make like $450K CAD so it makes sense they attract strong talent - I got deep in their process from B5 and it was tough. Altas is also still trying to build its brand, hence why they seem to select a senior from each MF and take strong brand names.
If you want to come home and work in a firm that at least holds a candle to its American counterparts and stay in a true buyside role, Altas is really your only option (other than Onex and Imperial, but no need to go down those roads again).
Class is for NY, Toronto is still big 5 and consulting
Hasn’t Altas always been US-leaning vs. other Canadian PE funds?
Amity shilled really hard for them and they were embarrassingly aggressive for on cycle and after. Deal velocity is mad slow so not amazing learning but senior team is good. Junior team is mid buckets at top banks rather than top bucket at mid banks. You tell me which is better
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