Advancy Asia

Vault’s Verdict

New to our survey in Asia-Pacific this year, Advancy has been on our radar in the US and Europe for a while, primarily for its reputation as a rising strategy shop with a genuinely collaborative, friendly culture—something we’re happy to see is also the case in APAC.

Advancy is very much a learn-by-doing kind of outfit, with formal training opportunities being replaced to a large extent by a partner class that is both willing and active in mentoring and on-the-job support. Financially, the firm offers strong compensation with rapid progression as consultants rise through the ranks. And, of course, with a global footprint there is always the potential for international projects. While it may not be hiring a huge class in any given year, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on for vacancies if the boutique strategy lifestyle is your thing.

Firm Culture

“Great team with exciting work and a commitment to an enjoyable working experience.”

“High level of partner involvement across a project with both the client and the staff.

Partners drive a lot of the strategy, acting in some ways as a manager - allows junior consultants to learn best practices etc. and also allows clients to see the consultants they are hiring are highly experienced and involved.”

“I think the transparency and communication between staff of all levels—from partner to intern—ideas, responsibility and value are considered equally.”

“The amount of partner time devoted to supporting consultants on projects - it produces a hugely better product and means we develop quickly.”

“They are the only CDD / strategy provider I would want to work with in Sydney in the consumer goods and retail / business services spaces.”

Quality of Life

“Great culture, no politics, friendly and embracing diversity.”

“Hours are manageable and I can still live an amazing life after work. It is quite flexible to work from home or to take time off at my firm.”

“I have a good work-life balance here.”

“Limited travel week to week which makes balancing work and personal life a lot easier.”

“Team quality of life is very strong. The flexibility with WFH and willingness to allow for further study is highly appreciated. The focus on protecting weekends and provided fitness training also allow for great workplace culture and QoL.”

Compensation

“Advancy now offers potential equity ownership for select employees with generous buy in discount and dividends - this is a very attractive value proposition.”

“Company has a strong EESO program, and competitive package for boutiques but it is quite below MBB for grads, potential issue to attract junior talent.”

“Compensation on par with top tier firms within Australia.”

“Partners are willing to continue to meet market benchmarks.

“Salary progression is very competitive and there is a conscious effort to maintain gender pay equality .”

Career Development

“Best thing is the team’s willingness to be flexible and mutually beneficial, with work able to be targeted to areas of personal interest where possible. The feedback processes found in Advancy Sydney are also very strong. 

Weakest element is probably the size of the office leaving us vulnerable to team changes quite quickly and dramatically.”

“Great personal development opportunities, as well as fast, merit-based promotions.”

“Great promotion process - the managers and partners are not afraid to recognise and reward hard work/good output from younger staff with fast promotions. It is very merit based.”

“No formal training at all for new joiners. However, partners spend so much time helping and training you on the project that this more than makes up for it.”

“The firm has a comprehensive training system for entry-level professionals and many resources that I can turn to almost at any time when I need guidance or help.”

Community Engagement

“Strong effort to promote and hire from diverse backgrounds - this has been driven from the partners down so everyone is aware of it. Diverse hiring is a focus and priority with all recruitment.”

“The team is clearly seeking to improve this but current team composition does not align itself with diversity. Strategies are in place to improve D&I but progress is taking time.”

“Very keen to have women and very supportive of them.”

“We are actively seeking to hire in line with diversity objectives.”

Business Outlook

“I think the business is nicely positioned with pricing structure and well diversified to market movements with PE and strat work. I think we are very strong at moving to areas of growth and well connected with industry. I feel the biggest vulnerability is through staffing availability losing some  experienced team members.”

“Strong, high quality client base means business performance is consistent across market cycles - many clients we work with a repeat and have a high regard for the work. Diverse mix of corporate and private equity clients across industries.”

“High degree of senior partner involvement in all aspects of the project is a differentiator that clients appreciate and is not available at other firms.”

“Very specialist in industry and well respected for expertise. Differentiates itself by how much time partners spend on projects.”

“We have built an outstanding brand in some industry sectors, based on quality of work and solid relationships.”

Hiring Process

“I am only highly exposed to junior/grad/intern hiring processes. The team is very strong at scheduling and getting face time with strong candidates (those with experience, relevant degrees and team fit). They are also looking to improve diversity, which is positive. The weakest part is the online rejection process and offering feedback to the candidates not accepted. I think this is largely due to the small team and limited time availability.”

“Interviews are generally conducted over three rounds with a variety of staff members.”

“The firm is seeking commercial and motivated consultants from diverse backgrounds who are able to work directly with clients from day one and can operate independently.”

“Looking for candidates with commercial acumen, numeracy and literacy skills and good interpersonal capabilities.”

Interview Questions

“How many dentures (replacement teeth) are implemented each year. (By key channel).”

“Market sizing questions.”

“Graph and data interpretation.”

“Market sizing, CDD structured answers.”