BGBx Consulting, Kx Advisors EMEA

Vault’s Verdict

Kx Advisors consultants from the firm’s London office love how their firm trusts them with big responsibility early in their careers, enabling them to quickly strengthen their life sciences expertise and feel the impact of their work. Insiders describe the firm’s career development policies as highly meritocratic, with clear milestones and requirements for promotion. Formal training occurs on a regular basis, especially for junior consultants, and managers and supervisors provide actionable feedback. Transatlantic transfers to US offices, short-term and long-term, are available.

Culturally, insiders describe Kx Advisors as inclusive and welcoming, with lots of personal autonomy. The firm encourages staff to take time off or develop their proposal writing skills when they’re slow, and weekend work is minimal. Insiders say they work from home twice per week, enjoy limited travel, and boast 26 days off per year, not counting the week between Christmas and New Year. They are only staffed on one project at a time, too, which limits competing deadlines. 

Compared to peer firms, insiders believe Kx Advisors pays a solid base salary, with good progression as consultants move up the ranks. Everyone at the same level receives the same pay, which drives pay equality. However, some insiders say they wish the firm offered more generous bonuses and fringe benefits to keep pace with other firms with European offices.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Best: No checking-up culture. When there is less to do, the company encourages people to take time for themselves; there are also a lot of opportunities to work on areas outside of project work when project work is slow (e.g., proposals, L&D)”
• “Fair effort to encourage healthy work-life balance, with minimal working on weekends. Easy to take time off whenever needed/wanted.”
• “Type of work we do is super interesting, especially if you are into the life sciences/healthcare industry. Having offices in the US and in Europe makes it a super inclusive environment, allows you to work in other offices for short/long periods of time. The exposure of clients is international. You get to, from day 1, handle a lot of responsibility. It is an amazing place to kick-start your career.”
• “Inclusive and accepting culture, hybrid working (two days at home), big and interesting clients, high level of responsibility early on, with opportunities to interact with clients.”

Quality of Life

• “Low levels of business travel, daily travel is reimbursed up to a certain amount, work from home two days a week, and it’s easy to take time off in advance. Many firm social activities and events, including volunteering days, socials, regular drinks. Hours are tough but still typical for professional services (and on the better end).”
• “Kx overall has a good work-life balance. I think the fact that everyone up to manager level is only staffed on one project at a time helps employees to balance their time and stops multiple projects being busy at once, which I’ve heard can be a nightmare at other firms. There is minimal travel requirements apart from for the odd workshop. Kx has excellent levels of holiday. In the UK, we get 26 days a year off and in between Christmas and New Year’s off for free, something which I think is very rare.”
• “Very long hours but many fun initiatives at work/in the office and fairly easy to take time off.”
• “Flexible working hours, no five-day mandatory in-office policy, strong sense of community/team in the firm, fun socials.”

Career Development

• “Tenure and meritocracy emphasis for promotions is appealing, with clearly defined milestones and expectations in place to guide individuals towards promotions.”
• “Good promotion processes clearly linked to tenure and performance, with no ambiguity. The informal training process is great with training sessions for different levels frequently, at least twice a month. Internal mobility doesn't really apply because we are a small firm and there wouldn’t really be anywhere to move. International opportunities are good with the option to do a transatlantic exchange to the US offices.”
• “Career development is well defined and clearly structured which avoids a sense of preferential treatment or tribalism. While training for entry level to consultant level is comprehensive and a priority for the company, training for managers and above is more limited.”
• “Meritocratic, with lots of informal guidance from peers and supervisors, regular formal training sessions, and opportunities for transatlantic exchange. Onboarding is less thorough. They’re keen for new starters to hit the ground running.”

Compensation

• “Salary is okay, and progression is quite good. The transparency with pay is very good. Everyone at the same level is paid exactly the same, and it’s very clear and everyone knows what everyone else earns. Very good pay equality. The bonuses could be better considering the base pay isn’t fantastic.”
• “Salary and bonus is good; pay is equal at all levels so no need to question pay equality, which is great. There is room for improvement on benefits vs other European office firms.”
• “I think the compensation is very competitive compared to most firms. Our travel to the office is also reimbursed for up to £100 a month.”
• “Private health insurance that provides free virtual GP appointments, counselling/therapy. Office building offers free bodyweight gym classes and massages. Gym reimbursement. Reimbursement of a wellness-related app (e.g., headspace, Spotify).”

Inclusion

• “Kx advisors is a very inclusive firm with many committees and affinity groups set up to support those individuals. We also have a very diverse workforce.”
• “The women@kx committee is a key part of Kx. We have a large proportion of female employees and all are encouraged to participate in the committee. I think everyone definitely has equal access to promotion, and they are very transparent with how that works and why people are being promoted or why you might have been passed up for promotion.”
• “Yes, there is a Women at Kx group, a BIPOC society, and promotions are awarded based on merit, so very diverse senior people.”
• “Active inclusion committees with regular events. All consultants seem to have equal access to work and promotion opportunities.”

Business Outlook

• “Kx has a lot of new business coming in and has sold more projects than we have people to staff on. A key sign the firm is doing very well is the substantial amount of new hiring they are investing in to ensure long-term growth.”
• “Overall, I think employee morale is high. We have grown considerably, particularly in the London office over the last year (almost doubling in size). We are increasingly working with new clients.”
• “Broad range of business capabilities compared to other competitors, strong growth in recent years compared to some competitors.”
• “High and fast growth, charismatic leadership.”

Hiring Process

• “Where do you see consulting taking you in five to 10 years? If you had £100,000 to invest in one publicly traded company, what company would it be and why?”
• “New graduates: Market sizing of the AFib market or the type-1 diabetes market for MedTech companies. Key things to consider when pricing the device. How to ensure a successful launch. Then there’s a written assessment, then a Super Day with another larger case study.”
• “Case study around estimating patient share, market sizing.”
• “Case question about market sizing, give a time you showed said trait.”

Interview Questions

• “We have three interview rounds. We are looking for candidates who show an ability to think logically, have a strong attention to detail, and are diligent, hardworking, and very proactive.”
• “The interview process is quite stringent but fair, with multiple stages including a three- to four-hour Super Day. I think the ideal candidate they are seeking is someone hardworking, diligent, with strong attention to detail, and very strong analytical skills. This person is able to work both independently and in a team, plus take the initiative to solve problems.”
• “Rigorous but overall enjoyable interview process. Allows you to get to know the people at the firm. Quite a short period between finishing the last interview and receiving a phone call with the offer. The ideal candidate is keen, inquisitive, pragmatic, and has high attention to detail.”
• “The ideal candidate is aware of consulting hours, has mostly done a life science degree even if it’s not explicitly stated. They are a fun person with a bit of personality. They need to be a good writer and able to complete work quickly. In the UK, they hire from Russel group universities.”