TOP 50 Consulting

(1)

2011 Edition

VAULT GUIDE To THE 50

(2)

BEST

REST

OF THE

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Accounting Firms

THE MEDIA’S WATCHING VAULT!

HERE’S A SAMPLING OF OUR COVERAGE.

“For those hoping to climb the ladder of success, [Vault’s] insights are priceless.”

– Money magazine

“The best place on the web to prepare for a job search.”

– Fortune

“[Vault guides] make for excellent starting points for job hunters and should be

purchased by academic libraries for their career sections [and] university career

centers.”

– Library Journal

“The granddaddy of worker sites.”

– US News & World Report

“A killer app.”

– The New York Times

One of Forbes’ 33 “Favorite Sites.”

– Forbes

“To get the unvarnished scoop, check out Vault.”

– SmartMoney Magazine

“Vault has a wealth of information about major employers and job-searching strategies

as well as comments from workers about their experiences at specifi c companies.”

– The Washington Post

“Vault [provides] the skinny on working conditions at all kinds of companies from

current and former employees.”

– USA Today

(3)

(4)

CONSULTING FIRMS

NAOMI NEWMAN

AND THE STAFF AT VAULT

®

TOP 50

VAULT GUIDE TO THE

(5)

All information in this book is subject to change without notice. Vault makes no claims as to the accuracy and reliability of the information contained within and disclaims all warranties. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Vault.com Inc.

Vault, the Vault logo, and “The Most Trusted Name in Career InformationTM_{” are trademarks of Vault.com, Inc.}

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, contact Vault.com, Inc., 75 Varick Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10013, (212) 366-4212.

Library of Congress CIP Data is available. ISBN 13 : 978-1-58131-853-1

(6)

Acknowledgments

Thank you to all the Vault editorial, sales, production and IT staff for writing, selling, designing and programming this guide. Special thanks to Sam Reynolds and Tom Gessner for their excellent writing and editorial support, and to Mary Sotomayor and Elena Boldeskou for their production expertise.

As always, this book is dedicated to the more than 4,500 consultants and 89 consulting fi rms who took time out of their busy schedules to distribute and complete our survey. Your insights about life at the top consulting fi rms are invaluable, and your willingness to speak candidly will help job seekers and career changes for years to come.

(7)

INTRODUCTION

1

A Guide to this Guide ... 2

THE TOP 50 RANKINGS

3

Ranking Methodology ... 5

THE VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS

9

Prestige Ranking Methodology ... 11 Overall Prestige ... 12 Practice Area Rankings ... 14

THE QUALITY OF LIFE RANKINGS

19

Quality of Life Ranking Methodology ... 20

THE VAULT DIVERSITY RANKINGS

35

Diversity Ranking Methodology ... 37 The Best 20 Firms for Diversity ... 37 Diversity Rankings ...

THE TOP 50 FIRMS

Bain & Company

1. ... 42 The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

2. ... 48 M

3. cKinsey & Company ... 53 A

4. nalysis Group, Inc. ... 56 T 5. he Cambridge Group ... 59 D 6. eloitte Consulting LLP ... 64 O 7. liver Wyman ... 69 A.T. Kearney 8. ... 74 T

9. riage Consulting Group ... 79 Censeo Consulting Group

10. ... 84 W

11. est Monroe Partners ... 88 C

12. ornerstone Research ... 93 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

13. ... 99 A

14. lvarez & Marsal ... 103 T

15. rinity Partners, LLC ... 108 B

16. ooz & Company ... 113 M

17. illiman, Inc. ... 118

(8)

Strategic Decisions Group 18. ... 123 PRTM 19. ... 128 G 20. allup Consulting ... 133 D

21. iamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. ... 138 H

22. ealth Advances, LLC ... 143 Strategos

23. ... 148 The Brattle Group

24. ... 152 M 25. onitor Group ... 157 A 26. lix Partners, LLP ... 163 IBM

27. Global Business Services ... 168 OC

28. &C Strategy Consultants ... 171 N 29. ovantas LLC ... 176 P 30. utnam Associates ... 181 E 31. aston Associates, LLC ... 185 A 32. ccenture ... 189 C

33. orporate Executive Board ... 194 ZS

34. Associates ... 197 L

35. .E.K. Consulting ... 202 N

36. era Economic Consulting ... 206 H

37. ewitt Associates ... 210 B

38. ates White ... 215 Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

39. ... 220 Q

40. uintiles Consulting ... 224 S

41. imon-Kucher & Partners ... 229 FTI

42. Consulting, Inc. ... 234 Charles River Associates

43. ... 239 N 44. avigant Consulting ... 244 C 45. apgemini ... 250 Towers Watson 46. ... 255 M 47. ercer LLC ... 257 H

48. uron Consulting Group ... 260 IMS

49. Consulting ... 262 K

50. aiser Associates ... 267

BEST OF THE REST

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition Table of Contents

(9)

ABT Associates Inc ... 272

The Advisory Board Company ... 274

Aon Consulting Worldwide ... 277

Arthur D. Little ... 280

Bainbridge ... 282

BDO Consulting ... 284

Buck Consultants ... 286

Campbell Alliance Group, Inc. ... 288

The Chartis Group ... 291

CRG Partners Group LLC ... 293

Crowe Horwath LLP ... 295

Dean & Company ... 298

Droege & Comp. ... 302

Ernst & Young ... 304

First Manhattan Consulting Group ... 307

Frederic W. Cook., Inc. ... 310

Grant Thornton LLP ... 312

Greenwich Associates ... 314

The Hackett Group, Inc. ... 316

Hay Group ... 318

ICF International, Inc. ... 320

Ingenix Consulting ... 322

KPMG LLP (U.S.) ... 324

Kurt Salmon Associates ... 327

LECG ... 329

Mars & Co. ... 331

North Highland ... 334

Opera Solutions ... 336

PA Consulting Group ... 338

The Parthenon Group ... 340

Point B ... 343

Prophet ... 346

Protiviti ... 348

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants ... 351

Scottmadden, Inc. ... 355

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition Table of Table of Contents

Visit Vault at www.vault.com for insider company profi les, expert advice,

(10)

The Segal Company ... 357

Stern Stewart & Co. ... 359

Vivaldi Partners ... 363

Zolfo Cooper ... 365

About the Editor ... 368

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition Table of Contents

(11)

Introduction

The year 2009 found the consulting industry picking up the pieces of the economic devastation wrought by the now-infamous Great Recession, a downturn that saw industry revenue decline sharply in 2008. In many ways, 2009 was actually worse than its cruel precursor; not only did revenue continue to fall, but consultants started to feel the crunch of trimmed-down staffi ng and other cost-cutting measures many fi rms applied to stay afl oat. Corporations across the globe slashed spending and cut jobs en masse, appropriating historic lows to long-term strategy development—considered a luxury expense in light of more immediate concerns.

But 2009 will also go down in history as the year in which some light broke through the clouds; there would be no repeat Depression, forecasters said, just a long slog back from the brink. Indeed, it’s one that consultancies have already begun. Anticipating a healthier future, many fi rms used the lull in business to diversify their service portfolios or implement much of their own strategic advice, improving ineffi ciencies and emerging leaner and more fl exible. Others took advantage of opportunities unique to the economic climate: Many secured lucrative contracts amidst government-funded stimulus projects, and major reforms to healthcare and fi nancial regulations saw businesses turn to consultancies for a clear path forward. Those specializing in cost-reduction and restructuring benefi tted the most; to be certain, many of their clients had no other choice but to place their fate in these consultants’ hands.

Now, the long slog persists but the prospect of growth looms brightly. To stay on top of which fi rms in the industry have the brightest prospects in the coming years, we’ve surveyed over 4,500 consultants for the 13th_{edition of the}_{Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms.}

Every year, we survey the best of the management and strategy fi rms, from gigantic multinationals to boutique fi rms with fewer than 100 employees and focused practice areas. The 89 profi les in this year’s edition are based on detailed research and extensive feedback from current consultants, encompassing everything from company culture to compensation, travel demands and diversity.

Check out the top-50 rankings to see which fi rms have the golden touch—in terms of both quality of life and industry prestige. Our rankings take into account the fact that there are plenty of considerations in choosing a consulting fi rm—for example, area of specialty, training opportunities, fi rm culture, compensation—in addition to a measure of prestige, which can put a sheen on any resume and give you access to high-caliber clients and projects. Best of luck with the job search; we’re confi dent you’ll be able to fi nd your next employer within these pages!

The Editors Vault.com

(12)

A GUIDE TO THIS GUIDE

If you’re wondering how our entries are organized, read on. Here’s a handy guide to the information you’ll fi nd packed into each fi rm profi le in this book.

Firm Facts

Locations: A listing of the fi rm’s offi ces, with the city (or cities) of its headquarters bolded. For fi rms with a relatively small number of offi ces, all cities are included. Countries for international offi ces are typically not specifi ed, unless the location is uncommon.

Practice Areas: Offi cial departments that employ a signifi cant portion of the fi rm’s consultants. Practice areas are listed in alphabetical order, regardless of their size and prominence.

Uppers and Downers: Good points and, shall we say, less positive points of the fi rm, as derived from consultant interviews and surveys, as well as other research. Uppers and downers are perceptions and are not based on statistics.

Employment Contact: The person, address or website that the fi rm identifi es as the best place to send resumes, or the appropriate contact to answer questions about the recruitment process. Sometimes more than one contact is given.

The Buzz

When it comes to other consulting fi rms, our respondents are full of opinions! We ask them to detail their views and observations about fi rms other than their own, and collect a sampling of these comments in The Buzz.

When selecting The Buzz, we include quotes most representative of the common perceptions of the fi rms held by other consultants—even if, in our opinion, the quotes do not accurately or completely describe the fi rm. Please keep in mind when reading The Buzz that it’s often more fun for outsiders to trash, rather than praise, a competing consulting fi rm. Nonetheless, The Buzz can be a valuable means of gauging a fi rm’s reputation in the consulting industry, or at least of detecting common misperceptions. We typically include two to four Buzz comments. In some instances we opt not to include The Buzz if we do not receive a diversity of comments.

The Stats

Employer Type: The fi rm’s classifi cation as a publicly traded company, privately held company or subsidiary. Ticker Symbol: The stock ticker symbol for a public company, as well as the exchange on which the stock is traded. Chairman, CEO, etc.: The name and title of the leader(s) of the fi rm, or of the fi rm’s consulting business.

Employees: The total number of employees, including consultants and other staff, at a fi rm in all offi ces (unless otherwise specifi ed). Some fi rms do not disclose this information; fi gures from the two most recent consecutive years the information is available (if at all) are included.

Revenue: The gross sales (in U.S. dollars) the fi rm generated in the specifi ed fi scal year(s). Some fi rms do not disclose this information; numbers from the two most recent consecutive years the information is available (if at all) are included. In some cases, revenue is given in Euro (€).

The Profi les

The profi les are divided into three sections: The Scoop, Getting Hired and Our Survey Says. The Scoop: The fi rm’s history, clients, recent company developments and other points of interest.

Getting Hired: Qualifi cations the fi rm looks for in new consultants, tips on getting hired and other notable aspects of the hiring process.

Our Survey Says: Actual quotes from surveys and interviews with current consultants at the fi rm on topics such as fi rm culture, diversity, hours, travel requirements, pay, training and more. Profi les of some fi rms do not include an Our Survey Says section.

Best of the Rest

Although the name of this book is the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, we didn’t stop there—we also added 39 other fi rms we thought notable and/or interesting enough for inclusion. These fi rms are listed in alphabetical order.

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition Introduction

(13)

VAULT CONSULTING 50

RANKINGS

(14)

(15)

RANKING METHODOLOGY

In the past, Vault calculated fi rms’ overall prestige ranking based solely on the votes of consultants at other fi rms. This year, we used the composite score below to analyze our initial list of 89 fi rms, which takes into account the votes of a fi rm’s own employees, as well as those external prestige rankings. While we will continue to publish prestige rankings, we believe that quality of life issues are at the core of a company’s appeal to job seekers. In fact, according to our survey results, the highest percentage of consultants have told us that they chose their current fi rm based on its culture, rather than its overall prestige in the industry.

25 percent fi rm culture 25 percent work/life balance 20 percent compensation 20 percent prestige

5 percent overall business outlook 5 percent transparency

The scores for the fi rst fi ve categories were derived directly from the survey results. The “transparency” category awards a 5 percent bonus to fi rms that distributed the survey to their consultants. Firms that did not distribute the survey internally received no points in this category. It is our view that, with increasing expectations of transparency and a free market for information, a company’s willingness to encourage employees to share their experiences externally correlates with a work culture where open feedback and self-criticism are valued—attributes that thousands of job seekers tell us are top priorities in searching for a new employer.

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition The Vault Consulting 50 Rankings

(16)

THE VAULT 50

v

VAULT RANKING

CONSULTING 50

RANK

FIRM

Bain & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc

McKinsey & Company

Analysis Group, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Oliver Wyman

A.T. Kearney

Triage Consulting Group

Censeo Consulting Group

West Monroe Partners

Cornerstone Research

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Alvarez & Marsal

Trinity Partners, LLC

Booz & Company

Milliman, Inc.

Strategic Decisions Group

PRTM

Gallup Consulting

Diamond Management & Technology Consulting, Inc.

Health Advances, LLC

Strategos

The Brattle Group

Monitor Group

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 SCORE

8.492

8.176

8.159

7.251

7.178

7.162

7.123

7.089

7.024

6.903

6.899

6.897

6.890

6.844

6.840

6.814

6.795

6.774

6.769

6.761

6.753

6.729

6.704

6.696

6.694 HQ/LARGEST OFFICE

Boston, MA

New York, NY

Boston, MA

Chicago, IL

New York, NY

Chicago, IL

San Francisco ,CA

Washington, DC

Chicago, IL

San Francisco, CA

New York, NY

Waltham, MA

New York, NY

Seattle, WA

Palo Alto, CA

Waltham, MA

Washington, DC

Chicago, IL

Weston, MA

Chicago, IL

Cambridge, MA

(17)

7

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition The Vault Consulting 50 Rankings

RANK

FIRM

AlixPartners, LLP

IBM Global Business Services

OC&C Strategy Consultants

Novantas LLC

Putnam Associates

Easton Associates, LLC

Accenture

Corporate Executive Board

ZS Associates

L.E.K. Consulting

NERA Economic Consulting

Hewitt Associates

Bates White

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

Quintiles Consulting

Simon-Kucher & Partners

FTI Consulting, Inc.

CRA International, Inc.

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

Capgemini

Towers Watson

Mercer LLC

Huron Consulting Group

IMS Health Incorporated

Kaiser Associates

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50 SCORE

6.628

6.627

6.598

6.595

6.594

6.589

6.586

6.583

6.574

6.463

6.405

6.360

6.251

6.239

6.187

6.084

5.974

5.973

5.841

5.767

5.679

5.652

5.517

5.481

5.184 HQ/LARGEST OFFICE

Southfi eld, MI

Armonk, NY

London

New York, NY

Burlington, MA

New York, NY

Arlington, VA

Evanston, IL

Boston, MA

New York, NY

Lincolnshire, IL

Washington, DC

New York, NY

Hawthorne, NY

Boston, MA/Bonn

West Palm Beach, FL

Boston, MA

Chicago, IL

New York, NY/Paris

New York, NY

Chicago, IL

Norwalk, CT

Washington, DC

(18)

(19)

PRESTIGE

RANKINGS

(20)

(21)

PRESTIGE RANKING METHODOLOGY

Survey respondents were asked to rate each consulting fi rm in the survey on a scale from 1 to 10 based on prestige, with 10 being the most prestigious. Consultants were unable to rate their own fi rm, and they were asked to rate only those fi rms with which they were familiar.

Vault collected the survey results and averaged the score for each fi rm. The fi rms were then ranked, with the highest score being No. 1, down to No. 50.

We also asked survey respondents to give their perceptions of other consulting fi rms besides their own. A selection of those comments is featured on each fi rm profi le as The Buzz.

Remember that Vault’s top-50 prestigious consulting fi rms are chosen by practicing consultants at top consulting fi rms. Vault does not choose or infl uence these rankings. The rankings measure perceived prestige (as determined by consulting professionals) and not revenue, size or lifestyle.

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition The Vault Prestige Rankings

(22)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Bain & Company

Booz & Company

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Mercer LLC

Monitor Group

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Ernst & Young LLP

Oliver Wyman

A.T. Kearney

Accenture

KPMG LLP

IBM Global Business Services

L.E.K. Consulting

The Parthenon Group

Towers Watson

AlixPartners, LLP

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

Alvarez & Marsal

ZS Associates

Capgemini

FTI Consulting, Inc.

NERA Economic Consulting

Hewitt Associates

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 SCORE

8.732

8.275

8.130

6.637

5.999

5.990

5.978

5.869

5.758

5.616

5.500

5.471

5.416

5.366

5.072

4.892

4.819

4.709

4.549

4.536

4.467

4.446

4.312

4.293

4.178 2010 RANK

1

2

3

4

5

8

6

7

9

10

16

11

13

12

19

17

14

15

24

21

28

23

20

22

26 PRACTICE AREA RANKINGS

(23)

13

RANK

FIRM

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Huron Consulting Group

Grant Thornton LLP

Arthur D. Little

PRTM

Diamond*

Aon Consulting Worldwide

Kurt Salmon Associates

Cornerstone Research

The Cambridge Group

CRA International, Inc.

Gallup Consulting

Corporate Executive Board

LECG

The Advisory Board Company

Analysis Group, Inc.

Hay Group

Mars & Co

First Manhattan Consulting Group

IMS Health Incorporated

Milliman, Inc.

Zolfo Cooper

Bainbridge

BDO Consulting

Buck Consultants

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50 SCORE

4.157

4.151

4.049

4.026

3.887

3.858

3.818

3.815

3.784

3.760

3.741

3.709

3.642

3.600

3.543

3.502

3.427

3.342

3.306

3.188

3.179

3.169

3.167

3.122

3.121 2010 RANK

27

25 NR

30

31

36

35

32

37 NR

29

34

38

33

44

40

39

43

46

47

41

42 NR

NR

48

*Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. NR= Not Ranked

(24)

PRACTICE AREA RANKINGS

Vault also asked consultants to rank the best fi rms in several areas of business focus. These areas are business advisory, economic consulting, energy consulting, fi nancial consulting, human resources consulting, operations consulting, and pharmaceutical and health care consulting. Consultants were allowed to vote for up to three fi rms as the best in each area, other than their own.

The following charts indicate the rankings in each practice area, along with the total percentage of consultants who voted in favor of each fi rm. (Because consultants could vote for up to three fi rms, the percentages add up to more than 100 percent.)

RANK

FIRM

NERA Economic Consulting

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Analysis Group, Inc.

CRA International, Inc.

Cornerstone Research

LECG

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Booz & Company

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

28.28

28.09

16.93

13.19

12.62

11.22

10.97

9.70

8.12

7.99 2010 RANK

1

3 7 (TIE)

7 (TIE)

4

2

6

5

8

9 Economic Consulting

(25)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Booz & Company

Bain & Company

Accenture

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Deloitte Consulting LLP

IBM Global Business Services

CRA International, Inc.

Navigant Consulting, Inc.

Arthur D. Little

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 8 (TIE)

8 (TIE)

9 SCORE

41.76

18.88

15.36

14.40

12.48

9.28

8.80

5.92

5.76 2010 RANK

1

2

3

5

4

6

10

8

7 NR

Energy Consulting

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Ernst & Young

Deloitte Consulting LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Bain & Company

KPMG

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Oliver Wyman

FTI Consulting, Inc.

Accenture

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

31.09

22.20

20.39

19.96

19.74

14.97

13.52

12.87

8.68

8.46 2010 RANK

1

5

2 3 (TIE)

4

7

6 3 (TIE)

8 NR

Financial Consulting

career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. 15

A.T. Kearney

(26)

RANK

FIRM

Mercer LLC

Towers Watson

Hewitt Associates

Hay Group

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Aon Consulting Worldwide

Oliver Wyman

McKinsey & Company

Accenture

Buck Consultants

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

55.97

33.82

28.29

9.94

9.27

7.47

6.80

6.07

4.47

3.74 2010 RANK

1 2*

4

5

6

8

10

7

9 NR

Human Resources Consulting

RANK

FIRM

A.T. Kearney

McKinsey & Company

Accenture

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Booz & Company

Bain & Company

IBM Global Business Services

PRTM

The Boston Consulting Group

1

2

3

4

5 6 (TIE)

6 (TIE)

7

8 SCORE

31.29

30.36

28.80

18.87

17.93

14.52

11.57

10.02 2010 RANK

3

4

1

2

5

7

6

9

8 AlixPartners, LLP

9

10

5.59 Operations Consulting

*In June 2009, Towers Perrin agreed to a merger with Watson Wyatt. Our survey was conducted in spring 2009, so the fi rms appeared separately. In the human resources practice area ranking, Towers Perrin was No.2 and Watson Wyatt Worldwide was No. 3.

KPMG

PricewaterhouseCoopers

10 (TIE)

3.65

3.65 NR

NR

(27)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

ZS Associates

IMS Health Incorporated

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Bain & Company

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Mercer LLC

L.E.K. Consulting

Health Advances, LLC

Kaiser Associates

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

30.10

23.02

22.55

14.73

10.62

7.74

7.08

6.90

5.96

5.03 2010 RANK

1

2

4

3

6

5

7 NR

NR

Pharmaceutical & Health Care Consulting

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Booz & Company

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Accenture

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Ernst & Young

Monitor Group

AlixPartners, LLP

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

77.13

61.86

47.89

15.23

10.30

9.20

5.52

4.97

4.86

4.15 Business Advisory

(28)

(29)

QUALITY OF LIFE

RANKINGS

(30)

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition The Vault Quality of Life Rankings

QUALITY OF LIFE RANKING METHODOLOGY

In addition to ranking other fi rms in terms of prestige, survey respondents were asked to rate their own fi rms in a variety of categories. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest, respondents evaluated their fi rms in the following “quality of life” areas:

A fi rm’s score in each category is simply the average of consultants’ ratings of their fi rms in that category. In compiling our quality of life rankings, we only ranked fi rms that received 10 or more responses from their consultants.

Overall satisfaction Compensation Work/life balance Hours in the offi ce Travel requirements Overall business outlook Firm leadership

Formal training Interaction with clients Relationships with supervisors Firm culture

Selectivity Promotion policies Green initiatives

(31)

The Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition Vault Quality of Life Rankings

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

West Monroe Partners

Health Advances, LLC

Milliman, Inc.

Analysis Group, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Corporate Executive Board

Easton Associates, LLC

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.375

9.301

8.931

8.879

8.750

8.714

8.660

8.629

8.600

8.500 Deloitte Consulting LLP

11 _8.460

Strategic Decisions Group

Censeo Consulting Group

AlixPartners, LLP

Trinity Partners, LLC

PRTM

Gallup Consulting

Triage Consulting Group

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

8.375

8.364

8.356

8.333

8.288

8.275

8.270 Strategos

Booz & Company

19

20

8.267

8.253 Overall Satisfaction

(32)

RANK

FIRM

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

Analysis Group, Inc.

Trinity Partners, LLC

Corporate Executive Board

Novantas LLC

A.T. Kearney

Oliver Wyman

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

8.749

8.638

8.625

8.480

8.429

8.423

8.400

8.061

7.926

7.767 Diamond Management & Technology Consultants

11 _7.714

AlixPartners, LLP

The Brattle Group

Bates White

Health Advances, LLC

Strategos

Milliman, Inc.

Alvarez & Marsal

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

7.700

7.694

7.690

7.636

7.600

7.594

7.592 Cornerstone Research

PRTM

19

20

7.590

7.519 Compensation

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is far below average and 10 is far in excess of industry average, how would you rate your fi rm’s compensation (including salary and bonus)?

(33)

RANK

FIRM

Triage Consulting Group

Censeo Consulting Group

Bain & Company

Strategos

Strategic Decisions Group

West Monroe Partners

Easton Associates, LLC

Analyis Group, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

Gallup Consulting

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.194

9.000

8.819

8.600

8.571

8.391

8.375

8.286

8.170

8.125 Putnam Associates

11 _8.107

Health Advances, LLC

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Milliman, Inc.

OC&C Strategy Consultants

Quintiles Consulting

Cornerstone Research

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

8.061

8.017

8.000

7.900

7.800

7.725

7.629 McKinsey & Company

Alvarez & Marsal

19

20

7.625

7.611 Work/Life Balance

(34)

RANK

FIRM

Triage Consulting Group

West Monroe Partners

Analysis Group, Inc.

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

Bain & Company

Gallup Consulting

Strategos

Corporate Executive Board

Censeo Consulting Group

IBM Global Business Services

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

8.921

8.437

8.429

8.394

8.366

8.300

8.267

8.100

8.045

8.000 Health Advances, LLC

11 _7.970

The Cambridge Group

Alvarez & Marsal

Easton Associates, LLC

Milliman, Inc.

McKinsey & Company

OC&C Strategy Consultants

AlixPartners, LLP

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

7.957

7.949

7.875

7.813

7.750

7.710

7.708 Putnam Associates

Strategic Decisions Group

19

20

7.704

7.688 Hours in the Offi ce

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means completely unsatisfi ed and 10 means extremely satisfi ed, please rank your satisfaction with the number of hours you spend in the offi ce each week.

(35)

RANK

FIRM

Cornerstone Research

Bates White

Putnam Associates

Health Advances, LLC

Analysis Group, Inc.

The Brattle Group

L.E.K. Consulting

Censeo Consulting Group

NERA Economic Consulting

Kaiser Associates

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.795

9.619

9.286

9.242

9.143

9.086

9.042

8.955

8.926

8.900 ZS Associates

11 _8.797

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

OC&C Strategy Consultants

Simon-Kucher & Partners

IMS Health Incorporated

CRA International, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

Trinity Partners, LLC

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

8.774

8.677

8.587

8.576

8.522

8.478

8.407 Hewitt Associates

Mercer LLC

19

20

8.043

7.750 Travel Requirements

(36)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

West Monroe Partners

Trinity Partners, LLC

Bain & Company

Novantas LLC

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Putnam Associates

PRTM

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

10.000

9.650

9.575

9.520

9.506

9.490

9.361

9.336

9.214

9.137 The Cambridge Group

11 _9.130

Booz & Company

OC&C Strategy Consultants

Triage Consulting Group.

Accenture

Easton Associates, LLC

The Brattle Group

12

13

14

15

16 17 (TIE)

17 (TIE)

9.031

8.967

8.885

8.881

8.844

8.750

8.750 Oliver Wyman

Analysis Group, Inc

18

19

8.719

8.714 IBM Global Business Services

20 _8.571

Overall Business Outlook

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is extremely poor and 10 is excellent, how would you rate the business outlook for your company?

(37)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

Health Advances, LLC

Triage Consulting Group

Strategic Decisions Group

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Accenture

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Corporate Executive Board

L.E.K. Consulting

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.750

9.732

9.152

8.661

8.500

8.302

8.200

8.156

8.111

7.979 Deloitte Consulting LLP

11 _7.976

Trinity Partners, LLC

ZS Associates

A.T. Kearney

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc

The Cambridge Group

West Monroe Partners

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

7.815

7.762

7.718

7.550

7.414

7.404

7.267 The Brattle Group

Censeo Consulting Group

19

20

7.229

7.227 Formal Training

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent, how would you rate your satisfaction with the training offered by your fi rm?

(38)

RANK

FIRM

Corporate Executive Board

Milliman, Inc.

PRTM

Gallup Consulting

West Monroe Partners

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

A.T. Kearney

Kaiser Associates

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.222

9.219

9.212

9.175

9.167

9.125

9.061

9.041

9.000

8.991 Booz & Company

11

8.989 Novantas LLC

Censeo Consulting Group

AlixPartners, LLP

Deloitte Consulting LLP

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

IBM Global Business Services

Health Advances, LLC

12

13

14

15

16

17 18 (TIE)

8.958

8.944

8.938

8.935

8.926

8.900

8.813 Strategic Decisions Group

Strategos

18 (TIE)

19 (TIE)

8.813

8.800 Towers Watson

19 (TIE)

_8.800

Interaction with Clients

On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfi ed are you with your opportunity to interact with your clients’ top-level management?

Alvarez & Marsal

(39)

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Trinity Partners, LLC

Bain & Company

The Cambridge Group

PRTM

Strategos

Novantas LLC

West Monroe Partners

Health Advances, LLC

Strategic Decisions Group

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.500

9.333

9.300

9.255

9.235

9.214

9.163

9.145

9.121

9.071 Deloitte Consulting LLP

11 _9.057

Milliman, Inc.

Monitor Group

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc

Triage Consulting Group

Censeo Consulting Group

Analysis Group

Corporate Executive Board

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

9.032

9.000

8.947

8.919

8.909

8.857

8.778 The Brattle Group

Booz & Company

19

20

8.743

8.731 Relationships with Supervisors

(40)

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

Bain & Company

West Monroe Partners

Analysis Group, Inc.

Strategic Decisions Group

Triage Consulting Group

Censeo Consulting Group

OC&C Strategy Consultants

Trinity Partners, LLC

Easton Associates, LLC

McKinsey & Company

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9 (TIE)

9 (TIE)

Cornerstone Research

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Strategos

Gallup Consulting

The Brattle Group

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc.

11

12

13

14

15

16

17 Milliman, Inc.

A.T. Kearney

18

19

9.759

9.471

9.429

9.313

9.254

9.182

9.167

9.148

9.125

9.061

9.000

8.936

8.904

8.857

8.821

8.778

8.719

8.688

8.598 Health Advances, LLC

10 Firm Culture

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all pleasant and 10 is extremely pleasant, assess your fi rm’s culture.

The Cambridge Group

(41)

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

Strategic Decisions Group

The Cambridge Group

Corporate Executive Board

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

PRTM

Trinity Partners, LLC

Novantas LLC

West Monroe Partners

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 Health Advances, LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Oliver Wyman

Easton Associates, LLC

Monitor Group

Triage Consulting Group

Milliman, Inc

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc.

Putnam Associates

19 (TIE)

9.571

9.084

8.600

8.511

8.500

8.450

8.373

8.370

8.333

8.318

8.286

8.258

8.088

8.006

8.000

7.875

7.774

7.710

7.679

7.679 Analysis Group, Inc.

11 Promotion Policies

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent, how would you rate your satisfaction with your fi rm’s promotion policies?

A.T. Kearney

(42)

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

Triage Consulting Group

A.T. Kearney

Bain & Company

Trinity Partners, LLC

L.E.K. Consulting

IBM Global Business Services

Deloitte Consulting LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Corporate Executive Board

Gallup Consulting

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 Accenture

Cornerstone Research

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Censeo Consulting Group

Strategic Decisions Group

The Brattle Group

West Monroe Partners

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 Navigant Consulting, Inc.

OC&C Strategy Consultants

19

20

9.197

8.739

8.531

8.480

8.417

8.250

8.175

8.140

8.100

8.027

7.959

7.906

7.892

7.872

7.700

7.625

7.583

7.548

7.429

7.333 PRTM

11 Green Initiatives

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all committed and 10 is extremely committed, how dedicated is your fi rm to pursuing environmentally sustainable (“green”) business practices?

(43)

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

Strategic Decisions Group

The Cambridge Group

Corporate Executive Board

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

PRTM

Trinity Partners, LLC

Novantas LLC

West Monroe Partners

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 Health Advances, LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Oliver Wyman

Easton Associates, LLC

Monitor Group

Triage Consulting Group

Milliman, Inc

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc.

Putnam Associates

19 (TIE)

9.571

9.084

8.600

8.511

8.500

8.450

8.373

8.370

8.333

8.318

8.286

8.258

8.088

8.006

8.000

7.875

7.774

7.710

7.679

7.679 Analysis Group, Inc.

11 Promotion Policies

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent, how would you rate your satisfaction with your fi rm’s promotion policies?

A.T. Kearney

(44)

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

McKinsey & Company

Bain & Company

West Monroe Partners

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Trinity Partners, LLC

Analysis Group, Inc.

Health Advances, LLC

Novantas LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

PRTM

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 Milliman, Inc

OC&C Strategy Consultants

The Cambridge Group

A.T. Kearney

Censeo Consulting Group

AlixPartners, LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers

10

11

12

13

14

15

16 Strategic Decisions Group

Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc.

17

18

9.600

9.506

9.333

9.229

9.160

9.000

8.917

8.885

8.676

8.655

8.567

8.543

8.517

8.476

8.441

8.388

8.375

8.349 Alvarez & Marsal

9 Firm Leadership

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very poor and 10 being excellent, how would you rate your overall level of confi dence in your fi rm’s leadership?

Triage Consulting Group

19

8.328 Accenture

(45)

DIVERSITY

RANKINGS

(46)

(47)

DIVERSITY RANKING METHODOLOGY

Vault’s survey asked consultants to rate their fi rm’s diversity with respect to women, with respect to minorities and with respect to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals. When asking consultants to assess their fi rm’s diversity in these categories, we asked them to think about hiring, promoting, mentoring and other programs.

THE BEST 20 FIRMS FOR DIVERSITY

To determine an overall diversity score, we took the average of the scores fi rms received in each of the three diversity categories (women, minorities and GLBT).

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms, 2011 Edition The Vault Diversity Rankings

SCORE

RANK

FIRM

Bain & Company

Strategic Decisions Group

IMS Health Incorporated

Easton Associates, LLC

Health Advances, LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Gallup Consulting

Corporate Executive Board

Trinity Partners, LLC

Cornerstone Research

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Accenture

Analysis Group, Inc.

The Brattle Group

The Cambridge Group

Hewitt Associates

West Monroe Partners

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 McKinsey & Company

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

19

20

9.083

9.042

8.838

8.821

8.814

8.725

8.711

8.700

8.680

8.649

8.560

8.537

8.389

8.349

8.304

8.291

8.272

8.265

8.200

8.177 IBM Global Business Services

(48)

Diversity—Women

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means needs a lot of improvement and 10 means exemplary, how receptive is your fi rm to women in terms of hiring, promoting, mentoring and other programs?

RANK

FIRM

Easton Associates, LLC

Health Advances, LLC

Corporate Executive Board

Trinity Partners, LLC

The Cambridge Group

Analysis Group, Inc.

Bain & Company

Cornerstone Research

Triage Consulting Group

IMS Health Incorporated

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.750

9.515

9.300

9.280

9.239

9.143

9.125

9.108

9.097

9.030 Gallup Consulting

11

9.026 Deloitte Consulting LLP

Strategic Decisions Group

McKinsey & Company

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC

IBM Global Business Services

CRA International

Hewitt Associates

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

8.992

8.875

8.800

8.793

8.750

8.696

8.604 The Brattle Group

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

19

20

8.583

8.517

(49)

Diversity—Minorities

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means needs a lot of improvement and 10 means exemplary, how receptive is your fi rm to minorities in terms of hiring, promoting, mentoring and other programs?

RANK

FIRM

Censeo Consulting Group

Bain & Company

Strategic Decisions Group

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Gallup Consulting

Trinity Partners, LLC

Accenture

IBM Global Business Services

PRTM

IMS Health Incorporated

1

2

3

4

5

6 7 (TIE)

7 (TIE)

8

9 SCORE

9.100

8.756

8.688

8.566

8.564

8.520

8.500

8.420

8.394 The Brattle Group

10

8.361 Health Advances, LLC

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

West Monroe Partners

PricewaterhouseCoopers

The Cambridge Group

A.T. Kearney

Cornerstone Research

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

8.303

8.282

8.233

8.163

8.156

8.126

8.108 Pearl Meyer & Partners

Hewitt Associates

18

19

8.103

8.098 Corporate Executive Board

20 (TIE)

_8.000

Easton Associates, LLC

McKinsey & Company

20 (TIE)

8.000

(50)

RANK

FIRM

Strategic Decisions Group

Bain & Company

IMS Health Incorporated

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.

Corporate Executive Board

Cornerstone Research

Easton Associates, LLC

Health Advances, LLC

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Simon-Kucher & Partners

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 SCORE

9.563

9.367

9.091

8.812

8.800

8.730

8.714

8.625

8.617

8.587 Gallup Consulting

11 _8.543

Monitor Group

Novantas LLC

IBM Global Business Services

Analysis Group, Inc.

PRTM

Accenture

Bates White

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

8.491

8.479

8.429

8.333

8.271

8.246

8.244 Trinity Partners, LLC

Hewitt Associates

19

20

8.240

8.114 Diversity—GLBT

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means very poor and 10 means excellent, how would you rate your fi rm’s commitment to diversity with respect to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals?

(51)

TOP 50

FIRMS 1-50

(52)

131 Dartmouth Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Phone: (617) 572-2000 Fax: (617) 572-2427 www.joinbain.com

LOCATIONS

Boston, MA (HQ)

42 offi ces in 27 countries

PRACTICE AREAS

Change Management • Corporate Renewal • Corporate Strategy • Cost & Supply Chain Management • Customer Strategy & Marketing • Growth Strategy • IT • Mergers & Acquisitions • Organization • Performance Improvement • Private Equity

THE STATS

Employer Type: Private Company Chairman: Orit Gadiesh

Worldwide Managing Director: Steve Ellis 2010 Employees: 4,800

2009 Employees: 4,800

• “Set the bar (with McKinsey) in terms of prestige” • “Overworked, hard-driving”

• “Great for management consulting” • “More travel than is sold to applicants”

BAIN & COMPANY

1

PRESTIGE RANKING

UPPERS

• “The level of entrepreneurship we still embrace, even given our size”

• “Continuous opportunity to grow and learn”

• “The smart and fun people drive a thriving and dynamic culture”

• “Results-oriented culture”

DOWNERS

• “Intense, unpredictable and grueling, at times” • “Diffi cult to predict what the client will want and when” • “We can always be better when it comes to diversity” • “Lack of control in scheduling”

EMPLOYMENT CONTACT

www.joinbain.com

THE BUZZ

TOP 50 Consulting

Sponsored by:

2011 Edition

VAULT GUIDE To THE 50

BEST

REST

OF THE

Vault Guide to the Top 50 Accounting Firms

THE MEDIA’S WATCHING VAULT!

HERE’S A SAMPLING OF OUR COVERAGE.

“For those hoping to climb the ladder of success, [Vault’s] insights are priceless.”

– Money magazine

“The best place on the web to prepare for a job search.”

– Fortune

“[Vault guides] make for excellent starting points for job hunters and should be

purchased by academic libraries for their career sections [and] university career

centers.”

– Library Journal

“The granddaddy of worker sites.”

– US News & World Report

“A killer app.”

– The New York Times

One of Forbes’ 33 “Favorite Sites.”

– Forbes

“To get the unvarnished scoop, check out Vault.”

– SmartMoney Magazine

“Vault has a wealth of information about major employers and job-searching strategies

as well as comments from workers about their experiences at specifi c companies.”

– The Washington Post

“Vault [provides] the skinny on working conditions at all kinds of companies from

current and former employees.”

– USA Today

CONSULTING FIRMS

NAOMI NEWMAN

AND THE STAFF AT VAULT

TOP 50

VAULT GUIDE TO THE

Acknowledgments

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

1

THE TOP 50 RANKINGS

3

THE VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS

9

THE QUALITY OF LIFE RANKINGS

19

THE VAULT DIVERSITY RANKINGS

35

THE TOP 50 FIRMS

BEST OF THE REST

Introduction

A GUIDE TO THIS GUIDE

Firm Facts

The Buzz

The Stats

The Profi les

Best of the Rest

VAULT CONSULTING 50

RANKINGS

RANKING METHODOLOGY

THE VAULT 50

v

RANK

FIRM

Bain & Company

The Boston Consulting Group, Inc

McKinsey & Company

Analysis Group, Inc.

The Cambridge Group

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Oliver Wyman

A.T. Kearney

Triage Consulting Group

Censeo Consulting Group

West Monroe Partners

Cornerstone Research

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Alvarez & Marsal

Trinity Partners, LLC