Vault’s Verdict

Insiders paint the picture of a friendly, team-oriented, and social culture at Executive Insights. The firm sponsors several activities throughout the year to help consultants connect with each other, such as an annual offsite ski trip. Staffing teams pay close attention to limit overstaffing and overworking to the greatest extent possible (although, at times this can prove difficult given the firm’s growth), and the firm trusts employees to do their work in the way that is best for them. Consultants can work from home or abroad, and they rarely travel to client sites outside of major events and meetings. 

When it comes to career development, Executive Insights provides a clear promotion path based on capabilities, not timelines. However, some insiders do see the promotion process as conservative. Senior staff serve as mentors and provide detailed feedback to support reaching the next level, and the firm provides additional training through both internal and external courses. Consultants also take on client-facing work early, allowing for faster growth.

The firm regularly benchmarks its compensation against competitors, and most insiders feel like their comp package provides average market value. Performance-based bonuses are available, but do not make up so much of the package as to introduce uncertainty. The firm offers good medical and dental coverage and subsidizes fitness activities. As for the firm’s business outlook, insiders say it is very positive—driven by a clear growth strategy, strong leadership, and high employee morale.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Company has a great culture, and people are friendly. They try to support a good work-life balance; however, in the end, if there are a lot of projects and not enough people, you do often end up working longer hours. The workload comes in waves, which is quite normal for consulting. For a consulting firm, the work-life balance is generally good, but the company could implement some additional policies to support people in particularly busy periods.”
• “True teamwork and spirit. Everyone’s wellbeing and interests are highly considered.”
• “My quality of life is exceptional. We have a good work-life balance, and staffing teams take care of us to ensure there is no overstaffing or overworking beyond manageable.”
• “A very flexible and empowering work environment with strong trust in employees. The culture is collaborative and supportive, and people are genuinely committed to the work and to each other. The firm has a strong market position, exciting clients, and lots of opportunities to learn and grow.”

Quality of Life

• “The company and managers are highly flexible on how, when, and where work is delivered. Working from home or abroad and taking time during the day for personal matters is no issue. However, the workload is heavy, and despite active hiring and freelancer support, the pace can feel stretched. Taking time off is supported but not always easy to fully disconnect. It is rewarding but demanding.”
• “During project peaks and busy Q4, it happens that I work later in the evenings. However, working on the weekends is really an exception. The company is accommodating most of the time requests for time off, especially if they are done ahead of time, according to company policy. Unlike other consulting companies, we are very seldomly travelling to client premises (only for F2F workshops and important meetings), which is better for work-life balance and the environment.”
• “Less travel than traditional consulting firms. Ability to reduce number of days per week with complete flexibility.”
• “Easy to take time off, flexible working hours, working hours not being micro-managed, quality is most important. Varying quality of life between individuals. The firm gives more work to people that are good and can handle it and less to people who speak up or aren’t as good.”

Career Development

• “The firm provides a clear career movement path with an emphasis on promotion based on when you are ready and not an arbitrary set timeline. The team wants you to succeed, and they invest heavily in mentoring and training. There are regularly scheduled trainings based on level; additionally, there are budgets for further training, coaching, education, and conference attendance to further your professional development. It is clear that the company is interested in making you the best you can be.”
• “The promotion process is clear and thorough, with seniors taking giving and received feedback quite seriously. There is a broad culture of being open to suggestions/ideas, with boundaries being pushed on a constant basis.”
• “A clear and transparent promotion framework with well-defined expectations for each career level. Regular feedback and structured performance reviews that support professional growth. Early opportunities for meaningful client exposure, allowing us to develop quickly and build confidence. Formal training programs could be further expanded compared to what larger consultancies offer. Promotions can be somewhat conservative, with a focus on ensuring readiness for the next level, which helps maintain high standards but may mean a slightly slower pace of advancement for some.”
• “Best aspects include having a mentor and twice-per-year promotion opportunities. Worst aspects include formal training, which is increasing but not fully in place.”

Compensation

• “Good compensation—average in terms of market value. Benefits that support the firm’s culture are good, like annual offsite and ski trips. Individual benefits could be improved with offering additional mental health support or coping mechanisms for high workloads.”
• “The compensation package is competitive, with the company apparently doing regular benchmarking to stay in line with the market. Different offices have different pay scales, which is common, but there is strong internal consistency between roles within each location, making it fair overall. However, the high intensity of the work can make it feel like the compensation is earned the hard way.”
• “Performance-based incentives are available but are not a significant bucket of your salary. So, you are able to get a good bonus with good performance. But even if you have average/low performance, it does not mean that you will have a low salary. Gives incentive to perform well but does not punish you hard when you don’t.”
• “The company provides good medical and dental coverage and offers a subsidy for fitness-related activities and purchases, which is appreciated.”

Inclusion

• “There is strong female representation across the firm, including in leadership roles. The company works hard to support new parents and accommodate different life circumstances, which helps people return and stay. Promotion and access to interesting work are generally based on performance and contribution, and there is a clear commitment to inclusion in practice, not just in words.”
• “With this being an EU-based firm, it is extremely diverse. The firm is made up of several different nationalities, with each call often not having the same two nationalities on a project. While English is the typical language spoken, it is not uncommon to hear several other languages exchanged. I often have the opportunity to practice my German with fellow colleagues. This leads to a very diverse working environment filled with different backgrounds and perspectives. There is an equal balance between men and women at all levels of the company. LGBTQ individuals are welcome and respected.”
• “We have a very inclusive culture, and I think the diversity of our team only grows over time.”
• “Executive Insight has a high diversity across gender, LGBTQ+ , ethnicity, and religion. And the team values different backgrounds and perspectives.”

Business Outlook

• “We have a low employee turnover rate compared to other consulting companies (due to our culture and better life-work balance), and we fared well in periods when consulting industry was not doing great and other consulting companies even laid off employees.”
• “We are steadily growing with work/accounts. We hire as we go, and the firm is committed to sustainable hiring and sustainable growth to prevent layoffs. We have never had a mass layoff and have extremely low turnover. Most people stay with the company for several years, and if they move on, it is due to a personal desire to, not due to layoffs or culture.”
• “Senior leadership provides regular updates on the company’s performance and short- to mid-term plans, covering business priorities, employee training, and company initiatives. It is evident that these updates are carefully considered, and that the senior team listens to employees’ concerns and takes action to make the company a better place to work.”
• “Executive Insight’s business outlook is positive, driven by a clear growth strategy, strong leadership, and high employee morale. The firm’s strengths include a resilient client base, deep expertise in the pharmaceutical sector, and a collaborative culture. Recent investments in talent and service innovation position the firm well against industry trends. Key challenges include increased competition and the need to further build internal capabilities. Overall, Executive Insight is well positioned to navigate industry changes and maintain its competitive edge.”

Hiring Process

• “Three rounds of interviews. The first is with HR. Second with a small case over the phone. Third round is face-to-face with three employees and a longer case study. The ideal candidate fits in with our culture and brings the needed strategic thinking, analytical skills, and curiosity to learn and continuously strive for growth.”
• “Three-step process: Recruiter, case with recruiter, half-day interview including case. Feedback was received promptly after each step. Ideal candidate keeps calm, can present in a clear and structured manner, and is open to feedback.”
• “I think our process is very rigorous and that is reflected in the quality of the candidates that we make offers to. We aim for people with similar values, and this means we get a range of working styles and approaches but a team who all support each other and work towards a common goal.”
• “The interview process includes multiple interviews and a half-day in-person assessment, which involves additional interviews, an interactive case study, and a presentation prepared on the day. It is a rigorous process but well-structured and thoughtfully designed to give candidates a fair and equal opportunity, reflecting the type of work performed at the company.”

Interview Questions

• “For more junior hires, there are case exercises that typically involve reorganizing and delivering a company presentation. For manager-level candidates, the process includes creating and delivering a sales presentation. Beyond these, the interview questions are similar to those used by other consulting firms, with a strong emphasis on assessing cultural fit and alignment with the company’s values and ways of working.”
• “How would you set up a project to understand which European markets to launch an asset in? How many patients do you expect in market X? What challenges do you foresee for company x to commercialize their product in Europe?”
• “What factors are important when seeking regulatory approval for drug X?”
• “Mini case studies (e.g., access barriers to a gene therapy launching in a country or market sizing of treatment centers this would require).”