Our Unique International Swap Program
At L.E.K. Consulting, we understand the transformative power that international experiences can bring to a professional’s career and personal life. This is embodied in our unique Swap Program — a distinctive perk that offers our employees the opportunity to swap positions with a peer in another country for six months.
Our Swap Program offers far more than a professional pivot; it is an immersion into diverse cultures, novel business landscapes and innovative working practices that challenge and expand horizons. Through the Swap Program, employees don’t just work on a global scale; they live it. Consultants are afforded the unique chance to work in any of our international offices, gaining exposure to new methodologies and unique approaches to cases all within our familiar L.E.K. framework. Jennifer Henry, who swapped to the Sydney office, found that her experience allowed her to stretch her intellectual capacity and diversify her consulting toolkit.
According to Katie Stepsis, whose swap experience took her to our London office, participating in the program is illuminating. “You start from scratch and step out of your comfort zone. This is where growth happens,” she reflects, emphasizing how this exposure has brought variety and creativity to her approach to cases and client interactions.
Our program is rooted in this principle: See the world while helping shape it. Our swappers infuse their narratives with global insights, blending the wisdom gleaned from cross-cultural engagements into a holistic view of business dynamics.
Madrid Consultant Nicolas Genc, who went on a six-month swap in our Melbourne office, says, “My experience in Australia had a significant impact on my professional life back here in Madrid. Starting there as a Senior Associate Consultant, I found myself taking on more responsibility, managing entire teams and overseeing deliverables and coordination. I learned upward management skills while also adopting best practices from the associates. Upon returning to Madrid, I was able to implement these learnings, improving our processes and training programs for our associates. Professionally speaking, there was definitely a ‘before’ and ‘after’ of myself coming back from Australia.”
More than just professional development, the L.E.K. Swap Program paves the way for personal growth. The experiences recounted by our consultants are as diverse as the geography they cover. From exploring the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to embarking on sabbaticals encompassing Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef, L.E.K.ers collect a mosaic of life-changing memories.
Chicago SAC Emily Pohl shares, “Moving to a country I had never been to opened up avenues for personal growth, creating new friendships and soaking in different cultures.” For her, the swap meant more than discovering the nuances of working in our Sydney office; it was about indulging her adventurous spirit, pushing boundaries and evolving in all aspects of life.
Our Swap Program goes beyond conventional professional enrichment. It’s a testament to our belief in a balanced mix of work, culture and exploration. Participants return with widened perspectives that benefit their colleagues, our clients and the very fabric of our diverse company culture.