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Vault’s Verdict

If you want to know where Oliver Wyman stands in the global consulting hierarchy at present, consider that the firm was selected to advise on the entirely unplanned merger between Credit Suisse and UBS. That’s right: when one of the world’s biggest financial institutions had to acquire another in a hurry to stave off a likely meltdown in the global financial markets, they called in OW. That’s pretty much the definition of resume radiance—especially if you’re looking to build a career in financial services.

As an employer, the firm excels in providing a supportive culture, where growth and personal development are emphasized. Employees are encouraged to take ownership of their work from the outset, and the firm fosters a social and fun atmosphere. Despite the high-pressure environment typical of consulting, Oliver Wyman maintains a focus on work-life balance initiatives, although experiences may vary across teams and projects.

In terms of career development, Oliver Wyman is known for its competitive compensation and fast promotion processes, though benefits may lag behind some competitors. The firm's commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident, with active efforts to create an inclusive workplace, though there is room for improvement at senior levels—something that CEO Nick Studer has publicly grappled with.

All told, this is a firm with a big reputation tackling some of the world’s toughest business issues, and scaling to meet demand. What more do you need to know?

 

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

  • “At OW, people want to see you grow. You can take on as much responsibility as you want from Day 1. When you make a mistake, they teach instead of discipline. Also, the culture is way more fun/social than other firms.”
  • “Culture continues to be a strong suit. Enjoy working with all my colleagues and forming deep relationships both in and out of the job!”
  • “Genuinely great people that want to make connections on a personal level—I have made friends who will have a lifelong presence in my life.”
  • “Longer than I ever imagined I'd stay in consulting. Working with partners you implicitly trust is a hard value proposition to leave behind.”
  • “The culture is a big part of OW's differentiation between the main competition, but I also think the extra fire OW has to align with the competition helps set us apart and even surpass them at times.”

Quality of Life

  • “Amazing quality of life, the projects are very well balanced and the teaming is exceptional. Travel is also flexible and left up to project teams. Some like to travel and some like to work from home... both are equally accepted.”
  • “Culture is unique in terms of how down to earth it is. Hours are inconsistent across projects but can be quite long.”
  • “Great WLB initiative called OW Balance—has really helped me manage challenging projects and I feel like senior leaders are invested in making things better for teams that are struggling with tough WLB.”
  • “Quality of life at Oliver Wyman can vary widely across teams and partners but the firm is working hard to ensure some consistency.”
  • “We typically travel every other week on a project for 3 days. This can vary depending on the length of the project and client needs.”

Career Development

  • “Ability to move at your own speed with lots of opportunity for development.”
  • “Everyone at the firm is willing to build into you if you are willing to get better. The people are the best part of OW's career development. The worst part may be the fact that we are aligned to an industry earlier than other firms, leading a number of new hires to find one thing they enjoy and continue to get better at just that one area.”
  • “It’s a fantastic place to work. Excellent balance of entrepreneurial spirit with an established consulting brand. The best one could ask for.”
  • “Movement across geographies and practices is fairly easy. Green card sponsorship has unnecessary barriers and constraints.”
  • “Strong mentorship for individuals. Clear standards for promotions and really great skills development. Because we enable people to specialize, it gives them more opportunity to take on more responsibility earlier.”

Compensation

  • “Benefits lag competitors even of other T2 firms (Parthenon, S&) due to ownership by MMC.”
  • “Compensation is very strong compared to peers. Would say that our other benefits are lacking (e.g., no transportation reimbursement, no education reimbursement, etc.).”
  • “Fast salary progression compared to peers. But at any given level, probably slight discount to some competitors. Health insurance could probably be somewhat better.”
  • “Salary progression if very clear and transparent, however, may potentially be higher in other firms depending on the position.”
  • “The worst aspect of the compensation package is the difference between the US base salaries for entry-level staff, as we are staffed on the same projects and work the same hours with a nominal difference in compensation. The benefits and bonus opportunities are probably the best aspects.”

Community Engagement

  • “All consultants at OW have equal opportunity, while there may be some lack of diversity in more senior positions this is not due to lack of DE&I efforts, and I see this landscape changing.”
  • “DE&I efforts are very apparent. Trainings and ‘inclusion festivals’ are held frequently to establish the firm's culture around DE&I. Recruiting also makes a point to hire diverse start classes each year.”
  • “Our firm is quite active. I run a chapter of our LGBTQ+ network through our office that is part of an active global effort. When I first indicated interest in this in interviews they were very receptive.”
  • “There remains significant attrition at junior levels among diverse hires. Senior management remains significantly white and male with weak attempts at changing this ‘old boys club’ culture.”
  • “We have multiple groups dedicated in promoting diversity and inclusion, promoting equal opportunities and a space for people to freely communicate.”

Business Outlook

  • “As part of Private Capital, there is a large focus on continued growth. We expect good growth given the deal market picking up activity and our firm's overall push towards marketing other capabilities.”
  • “Business is positioned very strongly in response to market turmoil particularly on the FS side of the house. Other areas of the firm are struggling a bit more.”
  • “Extremely deep industry expertise, strong capabilities but subscale in some areas.  Growth seems only limited by headcount as business has rebounded from early year macro challenges.  Outdoing competitors in business and outlook forward.”
  • “Oliver Wyman is actively gaining market share since I've joined the firm. Most employees love the work environment and actively contribute to firm activities. OW positioning within the consulting industry is only getting better.”
  • “We are on top of current trends and have been helping customers employ them (e.g., generative AI). We could do a better job partnering with external players to help bolster the toolset we can offer clients for solutions (e.g., generative AI Tools).”

Hiring Process

  • “All firms are seeking a good fit for their firm, and I believe Oliver Wyman is looking for a good culture fit more than anything else (of course, they want someone with a decently high GPA and relevant experience, but the fit and competency with the case is very high).”
  • “First rounds and then called back by end of week on results of getting superday. After super day we usually call that day or latest end of week with news.”
  • “Interview process is straightforward. After HR screening there are two first round interviews. One is behavioral and another is a case. After this there was a ‘super-day’ with three interviews back-to-back, one being another behavioral and two cases that are each slightly longer than the first round.”
  • “Recruiting is handled by school recruiting teams including resume selection (some potential biases here). Several diversity recruiting efforts/forums for broader recruiting. We call all candidates to provide feedback on their interviews regardless of pass/not-pass.”
  • “We call back ASAP. We want a go-getter, a problem solver, a self-starter, someone who is confident with numbers and can break a complex problem down into digestible parts. Someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously.”

Interview Questions

  • “Cases are typically interviewee-led and will be your 'typical' cases (e.g., profit / loss, M&A, etc.) There is an emphasis on problem-solving and ability to be hypothesis-driven. Behavioral interviews vary, but interviewers are given a few buckets that they're looking for (e.g., leadership).”
  • “In depth behavioral/experience questions; Case questions - both the classic ones in academia and specific business situation at the firm focused.”
  • “One case study and one behavioral interview for UG and MBA. Two rounds.
    Experienced hire, two case studies and one behavioral interview at principal and below each round.”
  • “Structured cases typically ask them to solve a business problem to assess market entry or profitability improvement.”
  • “Walk me thorough how you would make the go/ no-go decision on whether to invest in developing a new generation of ocean vessels that can cross the Pacific in half the time. Help me determine the root cause and recommended strategy for a Las Vegas resort whose operating profit has been deteriorating.”
Oliver Wyman

1166 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 541-8100

Firm Stats

Employer Type: Public
Stock Symbol: MMC
Stock Exchange: NYSE
CEO: Nick Studer
2023 Employees (All Locations): 6,000

Major Office Locations

New York, NY
60 offices across 29 countries

Major Departments & Practices

Actuarial
Automotive
Aviation, Aerospace & Defense
Business Transformation
Communications, Media & Technology
Corporate & Institutional Banking
Corporate Finance & Restructuring
Digital
Energy
Finance & Risk
Health & Life Sciences
Insurance
Manufacturing Industries
Marketing & Sales
Organization Effectiveness
Operations & Technology
Public Sector
Public Policy
Retail & Consumer Products
Retail & Business Banking
Strategy
Surface Transportation
Sustainability
Wealth & Asset Management
Value Sourcing