Vault’s Verdict

Roland Berger is a firm on a serious growth curve right now, and seems to be going from strength to strength in every corner of the globe. That success has given it the leeway to truly focus on professionalizing every aspect of its business, from top-of-the-market compensation packages to best-in-class programs around DEIJ.

If there’s one drawback to life at the firm, it’s hours, but those are not only common throughout much of the industry, but also a further sign of the surge in demand for Roland Berger’s services. All told, there is much to like about the firm and few red flags from insiders. Our recommendation, then, is to check it out for culture fit.

Firm Culture

“Anyone who wants to make a difference in their company and work with outstanding colleagues should get to know Roland Berger better as a potential employer.”

“I think that Roland Berger’s culture really sets apart our firm from the competition. The atmosphere within the company is really great, less hierarchical than other competitors, with more early responsibilities. For instance, every Friday, we organize the BoF (best of Friday), a very cool event with the whole Paris office to drink beers and chat.”

“Opportunity to create - We are of an attractive size which allows everyone to push their own initiatives, whether it is office events, soccer tournaments, sustainability initiatives. Anything you put your mind to, the management is quite supportive in following up on creative ideas to make Roland Berger an amazing place to work.”

“Super entrepreneurial. We do not just deliver reports or analyses, we do that and IN ADDITION create change by thinking with the end in mind. Our projects always require us to align very, very often with our clients. We are super close to our clients.

We also travel so, so much, which I absolutely love. I have seen so many countries, people, hotels, and airplanes as I ever wanted to see back in the day when I dreamt of becoming a consultant. Super happy about such a diverse and motivating environment. My colleagues at our main competitors hardly travel - or at least do not travel nearly as much as me.

Those who do not wish to travel, however, they do not need to. Roland Berger accommodates everything.”

“We hire to develop and retain team members. We invest in each and everyone's career development and we try our best to create an environment where working in consulting is truly fun and sustainable and not just a short intermezzo.”

Quality of Life

“Culture is quite flexible so it is largely up to the individual to manage their own workload rather than any rigid rules dictating things.”

“Extremely high flexibility to take time off between two projects but Roland Berger also encourages all employees to voice own needs and take additional days off for important private commitments (e.g. specific internal tool for project teams, ‘Project Commitments’).”

“Have been able to independently lead client interactions from very early on, already as Junior Consultant at lower client seniority levels and then going all the way up to client top management very quickly. 

Workload in consulting is by nature relatively intense - this has become much more easy to manage with short working hours per week than 15 years ago and with less travel than pre-covid-times, but of course it is still a field of intense working combined with intense learning. When the intensity became too much for me given my personal family-life situation, I opted for part-time (3 days/week) which gives me the flexibility to take care of my kids as needed.”

“Roland Berger is launching many initiatives on quality of life especially through the B&me program through which they want to promote work-life balance initiatives. I have been particularly active to push these initiatives (sabbaticals, several flexible work arrangements, additional vacation days). Last summer in Paris, several PMs took 3-month sabbaticals either to travel or to reflect about their career development.”

“Working hours at Roland Berger - as with any strategy consulting firm - can be long, but there are measures in place to ensure a good work-life balance, so that consultants can live their life in parallel with work, e.g. going to the gym or for dinner with friends during the week, or taking some time off to put the kids to bed. There is a good degree of flexibility.”

Compensation

“Competitive compensation package (base salary + bonus), performance driven reward culture, excellent mobility policy with strong incentive for electric vehicles or alternative mobility, market standard benefits on insurance etc.”

“Highly competitive overall package with strong and fast progression over time. Bonus reflecting extra efforts in an attractive way.”

“Performance is fairly included in the package. People delivering exceptional work are being compensated flexibly.”

“Salaries are highly competitive, and we offer a good bonus % in addition. All consultants start each level at the same base salary, so pay equality is built in. I love the company scheme whereby you can lease an electric car, as well as the bike to work scheme. And dentistry cover as part of health cover is not something I've seen elsewhere.”

“The pay is equal to gender, level and geography. The bonus is challenged by a global compensation committee which avoids playing favorites. Besides business and market performance other aspects such as team and talent development, knowledge contributions and corporate social engagement is highly valued and recognized.”

Career Development

“At Roland Berger there is global and local training. Our Global Training Program offers a broad variety of high-quality seminars on methodological skills and personal development, as well as an intense onboarding of new joiners through Kickoff seminar, which often results in lifelong relationships being formed.

We also have bootcamps for each career level from Senior Consultant, and unconscious bias training, as well as technical training such as Data Analytics/Data Science.”

“Challenge Club – exclusive program for high performers to foster international networking and personal development, exposure to management team, coaching opportunities, company development. Meritocracy – quick promotion of colleagues actively shaping Roland Berger and delivering high-quality work results.”

“Extremely entrepreneurial company that allows for the arrangement of virtually any personal career endeavor, be it secondments to clients, internal function rotations (into HR) or NGO-involvement (e.g., social fellowships).”

“Roland Berger offers a very fast development track, where you can really contribute to building new topics, e.g. around sustainability, ESG, the future of mobility or alike. You can really make a difference because the firm is global but still has family feeling. You are asked regularly about your preference and have a wide range of support programs - from sabbatical, part-time models to social leaves, where one can pitch and support an NGO or follow an own start-up idea.”

“Very broad range of options for career development - Most notably the Social or Entrepreneurial Fellowship programs that allow consultants to pause their job and either support an NGO or work in a startup for a couple of months. This helps to also expand knowledge & skills beyond the core areas that consultants are usually exposed to.”

Community Engagement

“As an LGBTQ+ individual myself, I have found a working environment that truly welcomes diversity. Besides being one of the most important values for the company, everything that I have been doing in terms of diversity has been heavily supported even by most senior leadership. From the first day, I have found an inclusive working environment where I never felt discriminated against.”

“Culture has changed dramatically over the past years. Top management takes diversity seriously and makes sure that it is respected in all processes. Also I witness that inappropriate behavior is sanctioned and that this holds true also for colleagues who are very successful business generators. There is still some way to go, cultural change takes time but I am very optimistic we will continue to make good progress.”

“Everyone definitely has equal access to interesting work and promotion opportunities. Promoting diversity is a very important topic for everyone in the company. Roland Berger actively supports colleagues through affinity groups such as our LGBTQ+ network Just be, our Women@RolandBerger Community, Black@RolandBerger or Parenting@RolandBerger. There are also special training courses, special (recruitment) events or our Diversity Day and Pride Week - to name just a few of many initiatives.”

“Roland Berger has been driving very hard - from the top down - on diversity topics. Diversity is hard-wired into Partner bonus and there has been a huge shift in the past two years. It is now a very energizing and diverse place to be. We have Women@Roland Berger, which regularly organizes events, inspirational speakers and specific training for women as well as internal networking opportunities via random coffee chats. We have many other affinity communities e.g. Black@Roland Berger, LGBTQ+ etc.”

“The company promotes diversity in all shapes and forms with equal access to the same opportunities. Although gender parity is far from being achieved, significant efforts are deployed to achieve the target. HR but also and Managers/Partners are particularly attentive to any form of discrimination to ensure everyone's inclusion.”

Business Outlook

“Hiring is intense at the moment and more consultants than ever have joined Roland Berger recently. Additionally, it is going to be the most diverse group of new joiners ever!

Furthermore, we actively drive innovation topics across four critical areas: Climate Action, Smart Mobility, Next Generation Manufacturing and Robust Organization

Landmark projects such as the decarbonization project for [a leading steel manufacturer] in the Netherlands broadcast our innovativeness and in this specific case our commitment to a sustainable future.”

“Inflation, climate change and war in Europe create a lot of challenges to our clients. Recent product focus on sustainability, industry transformation and new manufacturing has provided a true push in the market.”

“Our key financial figures for 2022 are excellent and so far, above last year's successful result. The pipeline looks promising for the rest of the year.”

“Roland Berger is in a huge growth phase. Our key financial figures for 2022 are excellent and so far, above last year's successful result. The pipeline looks promising for the rest of the year. We have hired more consultants than ever before - it really is a very good time to be at Roland Berger. We have a massively success sustainability offering and we are addressing the key issues our clients need to be successful in the future.”

“Super bullish firm. Senior executives boast about our development. We are the number one growing strategy consulting firm breaking the billion-dollar barrier soon. As the only non-US firm. Super proud of our success and extremely happy to be part of this development.”

Hiring Process

“Interviewees get notified either directly (for physical interview days), or within 24h after the (virtual) interview. The ideal applicant is well prepared regarding case study solving, shows interest in and knowledge about the firm, and most importantly, is not afraid to admit mistakes but shows honesty and authenticity above perfection.”

“Smart but purpose-driven personality that wishes to create impact for his team, for the client and the society.”

“Structured thinking, business sense (and industry expertise for senior positions) and motivation (which is key to succeed in an environment where entrepreneurship spirit is everywhere as Roland Berger).”

“The ideal candidate is a smart and insightful person that has the ability to look beyond the problem of the client into the bigger picture and find unique solutions for it.”

“We are looking for authentic winning personalities with entrepreneurial spirit – therefore, high importance of personality in interview process. Diversity plays an important role in our selection process – we value diverse talents, strengths and perspectives; diverse teams create the most innovative and sustainable solutions.”

Interview Questions

“As a recruiter myself, I can share some typical questions that I ask. Most importantly is a clear motivation and reasoning why joining Roland Berger now fits into your CV. For cases, I am looking for an interesting discussion. I do not expect the candidates to present the perfect solution.”

“I personally interviewed 50+ candidates. My typical case is based on a real project I did for a retailer back in 2019 regarding its purchasing strategy. More generally, interviewers at Roland Berger are highly trained and experienced consultants who test candidates on their mindset, motivations and analytical/ structuration skills.”

“On the one hand, some personality questions with focus on getting to know the candidate but also on allowing the candidate to get to know Roland Berger as a firm and the interview partner in particular.

This is combined, on the other hand, with some very targeted industry or functional case-related questions, to test the professional knowledge and the way of addressing a business challenge in the areas of interest of the candidate (e.g. applying to join Financial Services platform, then technical interview commonly containing respective questions).”

“We are looking for authentic winning personalities with entrepreneurial spirit – therefore, high importance of personality in interview.”

“What makes your character outstanding and enhances our teams at Roland Berger? What are you on fire for? How do you promote inclusion in heterogeneous teams?”