Corp. Dev and/or Corp. Strat Role with a non-finance/accounting background?

I am ready to leave the consulting world behind & I've been eyeing corp dev or strategy roles, though would be open to other roles in industry. The thing that gives me pause is that I don't have a strong finance/accounting background (though I have a very basic understanding of both).

My background is as follows:

-Current manager at in the M&A Strategy practice of a B4 in Chicago -Experience has all been in post-merger integration work (operations focused) -A generalist as it relates to industry / functional expertise; though my experience has been broad across both categories -No experience with any kind of due diligence work -Come from a liberal arts educational background (I have a BA/history & a JD)

To you corp dev/corp strategy professionals: -Do you work with folks with similar non finance/accounting backgrounds in your role? I hear corp dev. is especially model heavy and full of ex bankers and PE types -Without getting an MBA, is there anything I can be doing to make myself a more attractive candidate to employers in this space? -Any courses or certifications that could help my case? I am eyeing a few financial modeling courses -If corp dev. and strategy are pipe dreams, where else could someone with a background similar to mind fit in an industry role?

Any thoughts or opinions?

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You've got a JD -- play that card and play it hard.

I'm on a Corp Strat/Dev team that consists of an SVP, 2 VPs, 2 Mgrs and 2 Analysts. One VP and I are the finance gurus, the SVP and 1 Mgr have a marketing background, and the last VP comes from the state (regulatory issues). Both analysts are generalists and came right out of school.

You could easily fill our Regulatory role with a JD. Yeah, it'd be better if you understood the finance aspects, and yeah, it be better if you had DD experience...but the regulatory piece is a big component of what we do, too.

Go get BIWS to brush up and sell your legal experience.

Director of Finance and Corporate Development: 2020 - Present Manager of FP&A and Corporate Development: 2019 - 2020 Corporate Finance, Strategy and Development: 2011 - 2019 "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
 

Adipisci occaecati dolores blanditiis quae aut magni. Architecto laudantium doloribus qui est sapiente occaecati.

Voluptates tenetur aspernatur aspernatur commodi consequuntur et. Unde in totam autem ut voluptas qui rerum. Nihil beatae tempora quis ullam laboriosam dolor quos. Fugit a corporis possimus molestiae ad nihil. Deserunt quo mollitia quasi nam ut quaerat. Qui explicabo omnis qui sit adipisci nostrum quos.

Qui sunt quas odio mollitia et amet amet. Quia alias provident reprehenderit ut.

Ipsam voluptatem aliquid non excepturi. Quo eligendi excepturi alias tempore. Rem laborum fugit saepe laboriosam. Expedita est dolorum facere voluptates et voluptate iste.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”