Vault’s Verdict

A truly global, true strategy boutique originating from the UK, OC&C is definitely an outlier within the industry at large. With the twin forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the final shakeout of the Brexit settlement hitting its home markets simultaneously, the firm’s services are likely to be in high demand for the foreseeable future, as there will be no shortage of corporate strategic assistance required across the continent.

As an employer, the firm is very much a meritocracy, and one that has taken major steps on the D&I path in recent years. As a result, the overall impression of OC&C’s culture is one that is young and vibrant, and where individuals have no shortage of opportunities to play a role in continuing to build and develop the firm for the years ahead.

Firm Culture

• “An amazing career that has developed me in many ways and given me great friends to build a business with.”
• “Extremely positive culture and super interesting projects/clients, both for Private Equity funds and large international corporate clients.”
• “Great down-to-earth culture with respect for the individual and commitment to diversity.”
• “If you want to focus on doing the most interesting strategy work in a firm where you can make a real different to building the business over time OC&C is a fabulous place.”
• “This firm is completely unique and progressive, it is an extremely fulfilling place to work with amazing colleagues and culture, expect to see good things coming from OC&C in the years to come.”
• “We're large enough to provide a diverse range of projects and sectors with the benefit of an international network of offices but still at a scale where you can meet most people and build strong relationships with colleagues which results in a truly great company culture.”

Quality of Life

• “A number of dedicated health and wellness task teams - put on regular sessions, schedule special events, distribute regular information etc.
• “Best is the people, the holiday, the company events, the sports clubs etc. Worst is W/L balance but that is more an industry thing.”

• “Brilliant group of people and firm culture. The fact that travel is occasional rather than regular ensures people are around the office Mon-Thu which helps to cement closer work relationships. Social events are held regularly and are a lot of fun. Great place to be.”
• “Good hours for consulting, low travel requirements, no weekend work, 5pm finish on Fridays and at least one guaranteed early finish per week (18:30).”
• “Hours are pretty good relative to other consultancy firms; majority of the work takes place in the office which means low levels of travel and ability to create a friendship network. Very easy to take time off when needed.”
• “Limited travel requirements (including pre-Covid-19). Hours average around 55 with intense periods generally compensated by quieter periods, and strict policies around TOIL.”
• “People are actively encouraged to use their full vacation allowance and there is an option to take up to 4 weeks additional unpaid leave. This option is widely used and seen as a positive reflection on individuals, not perceived negatively.”
• “Very accommodating. Clear culture of respecting vacation time with little intrusion. A full month of unpaid leave is given on top of paid leave and it is very much encouraged to take it (and most do).”

Compensation

• “A very generous sign-on bonus and competitive salary. Equality in pay.”
• “Base salary and bonus very competitive. Maternity policy is strong; paternity policy could be improved. Pension contribution is statutory minimum.”
• “Best: above industry average pay and bonus, especially after c. 2 years (entry on par with top tier consultancies); Worst: only applicable to Germany - no extra compensation for e.g. gym memberships, which the London office has (but higher salary, which accounts for that).”
• “Good base salary and good progression over time, bonus could be higher.”
• “Salary progression is steep and encourages you to stay within the company. Feels fairly paid at all levels with a high degree of transparency over the salary system. Pension matching could be improved.”
• “The pay is high for someone of my tenure and progression is quick (c.35% increase between entry level an next grade up). However, pension contributions are very low compared to the market (with no additional contributions made by the employer.) Bonus is overall okay, though below others in the market I believe (with a base % and a multiplier for both personal and company performance).”

Career Development

• “A true meritocracy with commitment to support people to develop as far and fast as they are able. A mentality to never stop learning.”
• “Excellent opportunities to learn and progress quickly. Focus on short-term strategy means you get exposed to many sectors, project types, roles and project teams in a short space of time. Real focus on supporting development with weekly feedback, end of project feedback and extensive 6-month appraisals, as well as informal and formal mentorship schemes. Hard to imagine a better place for career development.”
• “Extremely thorough and fair appraisal process. Opportunity to climb from entry level to partner.”
• “Lots of opportunities to get involved in different task teams (e.g. women's group, diversity network etc.) as well as volunteering opportunities.”
• “Promotion process is very transparent to everyone involved. Very good appraisal system which feels fair to everyone. There is regular training though most of the training happens on the job - but never felt like I needed more training than received.”
• “Very meritocratic - promotion based on performance not tenure. Great exit opportunities - especially in PE, but also in corporate strategy in our chosen sectors.”

Diversity

• “As a pure meritocracy every person of the same grade is paid the same. Men and women progress at the same pace.”
• “Clear structured payscales and promotion criteria. Firm monitors progression of different minority groups to ensure no unconscious bias is impacting the principle of true meritocracy and acts to evolve practices if any bias is uncovered.”
• “I mean, literally every firm struggles with diversity. We're very strong on LGBTQ diversity and have been for a while; have been making a real push on racial diversity in recruitment which seems to be coming through in recent cohorts after being incredibly white and male historically. Similarly, gender diversity in recruitment is good, but still to flow through the pyramid. Underrepresentation at Associate Partner and Partner in particular - but again, that is endemic across professional services.
  The firm is making real efforts and (in my opinion) takes it very seriously but since partnership is 95% male and 40+ it's a bit less ‘woke’ than the junior ACs would like but make the right efforts.”
• “Promotion opportunities are great - very clearly laid out and done fairly with pay grades relating to performance and being very transparent.”
• “The firm goes to great lengths to ensure an equitable hiring and promotion process. On the recruitment side there is a huge effort to increase diversity in the applicant pool.”
• “The firm is truly passionate about inclusion and diversity, and would never compromise on these principles. It's in their DNA. Has improved its maternity leave to retain women. Also, has several networks focused on diversity and inclusion that arranges events and helps with firm policy.”
• “Very active D&I networks, and overarching D&I council ensures networks are pursuing common strategic objectives. Intakes have become increasingly diverse over time.”

Outlook

• “Extremely busy right now as a firm.”
• “Handled the Covid-19 outbreak extremely equitably and well.”
• “Strengths: Focus on industries and subjects we're good at. Weakness: We can't offer implementation as a strategy firm (positive for me but perhaps something we loose on when pitching).”
• “Very strong in Private Equity and Strategy, very large international clients and projects.”
• “Very strong performance over Covid-19 period as we have adapted well to the changing demands of clients.”
• “Winning through focus on top quality strategy as a global boutique. Consciously remaining focused on strategy work whilst larger firms are forced to diversify and creating an increasingly differentiated proposition to clients and talented employees as a result. Highly integrated global structure aids seamless working across borders.”

Hiring Process

• “Be prepared for the interviews but also don't stress too much - they're an enjoyable experience. Be nice, be open to new ideas and engaged in the source material and you'll come away having had a fun time and maybe a job offer!”
• “CV screen, online test on numeracy and critical thinking, and then the interview round. The two rounds of interviews all happen on the same day. We look for intellectual firepower, creative and critical thinking, articulate presentation, and interpersonal skills.”
• “Intellectual, curious well rounded and grounded individuals. We are after people who build the firm’s inclusive culture while bringing intellectual vigour to their work; this balance is key.”
• “Very efficient—only one day of interviews which makes it a lot simpler for people not based in London. Ideal candidate is intelligent, nice and interested in the case studies and the company as a whole. But the 'nice' part of that is incredibly important—our culture is based on the people we hire.”

Interview Questions

• “A large US-based dating app is looking to expand its international footprint. What factors might characterise an attractive market for expansion? Given these considerations, which country would you make your first priority for expansion and why?”
• How many ATMs are there in the UK and how much do they make?
• “How much of the covid hit to traditional media/ retail and the covid bounce to digital media and ecomm will be sustained in behaviours going forward and why? How would you try to estimate the answer? How does it vary by country and type of media/ ecomm and why?”
• “Sizing of markets, diagnosis of strategic issues, worked case studies (incl. simple maths based questions).”
• “What data would be needed to identify social groups in gyms? How could that data be useful to improve profitability?”
• “Which of these two segments would be more attractive to a business to enter?”