Strategy& or American Express Strategic Planning

Hi all,

Which would you rather work for as an entry level consultant? Why? Would love to hear any and all opinions! Thank you.

Option 1 -- American Express, Strategic Planning Group (their internal consulting function)
Option 2 -- Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co)

 
Best Response

That's a tough one. I've heard mixed reviews of Strategy& post-merger; lots of top talent has jumped ship (I don't have exact numbers, this is just "through the grapevine" talk I've heard from people who have joined my firm so granted they are a bit biased) and the culture has suffered. That said, it's still a great name for your resume and you'll still get access to great projects, plus there is still plenty of talent there. I'm a big fan of Amex SPG - I've worked with them before and they are a smart bunch, mostly from top firms (MBB, other top consulting shops, other premier companies in a strat role). Amex is also a great name for your resume. The downside is that you'll obviously be working only on Amex projects. As an entry level consultant you may want to start at a consulting firm to get a little more exposure to companies/verticals/practices to learn what you want to do in the long-term. I would imagine pay is slightly better at Strategy& and that hours will be longer but I don't know for sure, it's just a hunch. Oh, and you won't travel at Amex but you most certainly will at Strategy&.

 
Canadiens16:

That's a tough one. I've heard mixed reviews of Strategy& post-merger; lots of top talent has jumped ship (I don't have exact numbers, this is just "through the grapevine" talk I've heard from people who have joined my firm so granted they are a bit biased) and the culture has suffered. That said, it's still a great name for your resume and you'll still get access to great projects, plus there is still plenty of talent there. I'm a big fan of Amex SPG - I've worked with them before and they are a smart bunch, mostly from top firms (MBB, other top consulting shops, other premier companies in a strat role). Amex is also a great name for your resume. The downside is that you'll obviously be working only on Amex projects. As an entry level consultant you may want to start at a consulting firm to get a little more exposure to companies/verticals/practices to learn what you want to do in the long-term. I would imagine pay is slightly better at Strategy& and that hours will be longer but I don't know for sure, it's just a hunch. Oh, and you won't travel at Amex but you most certainly will at Strategy&.

Mixed? I heard unanimously bad. Every single person who interned there this summer re-recruited too.

 

That's really tough. I'd generally lean toward S&, because you'd get access to a variety of experiences/industries and have the chance to learn/travel. But you probably can't stay there and build a career without leaving for an MBA, so be aware that you'll be re-recruiting for something in a few years. You could potentially even end up at the Amex SPG group later.

If you think you'd like to pick a company and stay there for years (old school mentality nowadays), the Amex group will give you a better chance at doing that. I also wonder if people leave Amex SPG for internal roles, which could be a plus.

 

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