The Poirier Group

The Poirier Group is a boutique management consulting firm headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Since 2005, it’s remained dedicated to achieving excellence for clients and received numerous awards, including the Silver Stevie Award in 2020. In addition, it was named as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2020 by Waterstone. Read on to learn more about The Poirier Group’s culture, work, and recruiting process.

Table of Contents:

1. The Poirier Group Consulting Key Stats
2. The Poirier Group History
3. The Poirier Group Careers
4. Practice Areas
5. Industries
6. Office Locations
7. Career Path
8. Exit Opportunities
9. Notable Alumni
10. Target Schools
11. Diversity Programs
12. The Poirier Group Culture
13. The Poirier Group Internship
14. The Poirier Group Interview
15. The Poirier Group Salary

The Poirier Group Consulting Key Stats

• The Poirier Group Website: https://www.thepoiriergroup.com/
• Kenway Consulting Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario
• Kenway Consulting Number of Employees: 40
• Kenway Consulting Number of Locations: 1
• Kenway Consulting Chief Executive: David Poirier
• Kenway Consulting Revenue: $7 million

The Poirier Group History

The Poirier Group was founded in 2005 by David Poirier. Why did Poirier decide to found his own consulting firm? He wanted to make meaningful impact through a “values-based” approach that is focused on implementing sustainable change. Second, believing that all business challenges are unique, Poirier felt the best business solutions are highly customized. Now, in our experience, all consulting firms offer tailored solutions. However, this has become a large part of The Poirier Group’s brand and selling strategy.

The Poirier Group Careers

Poirier Group careers range from internships to entry-level positions and senior leadership roles. The firm hires independent contractors in addition to its permanent staff. Note: Beware that as an independent contractor, you won’t be doing traditional management consulting work, but instead, are more likely to be “embedded” into a client organization for an extended period of time.

Practice Areas

The Poirier Group’s practice areas are diverse and address multiple business needs. This allows TPG to provide holistic solutions (and sell more downstream work). They include:

• • Process Improvement
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Retail Merchandising
  • Strategy Development & Execution
  • Human Capital Management
  • IT Consulting/Project Management
  • Private Equity and M&A Support
  • Virtual Training & Workshops

Industries

The Poirier Group covers a small range of industries, which will give you as a consultant a ‘big picture’ understanding of the complexities diverse businesses face. The firm’s focus industries include:

• • Manufacturing & CPG
  • Financial Services
  • IT & Business Services
  • Health & Life Sciences
  • Government & Regulated Industries
  • Retail & Grocery

Office Locations

The Poirier Group has one office location – in Toronto, Ontario. This is important to understand, as without prior Canadian work authorization, it will be difficult to break into the firm. Due to COVID restrictions, the majority of TPG’s current work is remote.

Career Path

The Poirier Group career path begins with internship opportunities, though there are various entry points for prospective applicants. The firm actively seeks new graduates and experienced candidates alike. Opportunities to work as an independent contractor offer another avenue to those who’d like to work with TPG on specific projects as they advance their careers.

Exit Opportunities

Exit opportunities from The Poirier Group are varied. While the firm is regarded as a top boutique in the Canadian market, you’ll find your exit opportunities are not as broad as from MBB, Big 4, and more internationally focused boutiques.

Consultants can pursue a long career with the firm or aim to transition to more brand-name consulting firms as a specialist hire. If you want to leave for industry, you have options there as well. Because you’ll work on projects across industries, you’ll be well equipped to exit into leadership roles across a variety of sectors.

Overall, moving into industry, venture capital, private equity, or the start-up world are all options given the problem-solving skills and business acumen you’ll acquire.

Notable Alumni

An individual who has parlayed TPG experience into a noteworthy role is Amaris Sahota, who recently became Chief Operating Officer at Easterly Partners Group. She spent about a year and a half with the company as a senior management consultant before making this career change in 2021.

Target Schools

Universities across Canada are invited to attend the IISE Canadian Student Conference, a large point of recruitment. The University of Toronto and York University are located in close proximity to TPG, allowing students to network at local events as well.

Diversity Programs

The Poirier Group diversity programs include the Purpose Beyond Profit initiative, in which employees are given funds to donate to an organization of their choice. The firm values diversity in hiring and was named 13th best firm for Diversity by Vault in 2020.

The Poirier Group Culture

The Poirier Group culture is a point of pride for the firm. It has won numerous Vault awards in this category, including #16 for Relationships with Supervisors and #20 for Firm Culture (both given in 2021). It operates with 4 core values in mind: serving, excellence, integrity, and learning.

The firm’s small size and flat hierarchical set-up contribute to the tight-knit culture. Employees talk about the genuine relationships they get to build with colleagues and firm leadership (being in one office helps!), and the firm actively fosters connection through regular social events.

As a result, consultants typically stay at the firm longer than the average tenure across the industry, a testament to the intangible benefits of work at The Poirier Group.

The Poirier Group Internships

Internships at TPG are a great way to find out if a consulting position at the firm is right for you. Interns are usually chosen from Industrial / Chemical Engineering, Business, or Mathematics programs. Interns are assigned to actual client projects, gaining invaluable experience and an inside track to a full-time offer after graduation. Find out more at campus recruitment fairs, including the IISE Canadian Student Conference.

The Poirier Group Interview

The Poirier Group interview is a multistep process – expect a large emphasis on behavioral questions, as the firm believes a large part of effective hiring is maintaining its unique culture.

After applying online, you’ll be invited to a phone screen with a recruiter. This phone screen, around 15 minutes in length, will include a couple of key behavioral questions and allow the recruiter to conduct a “sanity check”. Are you well spoken? Do you communicate clearly? Can the recruiter imagine you interacting with a client? If so, you stand a good chance of moving on in the process.

Then, you can expect multiple rounds of both case and behavioral interviews. The Poirier Group case interviews are known to be more tech-focused than standard case interviews due to the nature of the firm’s work, so be sure to be prepared for this. Work with our expert coaching team to prepare for TPG interviews.

Finally, don’t be shocked if behavioral questions ask you to talk about ethical issues you’ve managed in the past, as well as respond to hypothetical ethical-based scenarios.

The Poirier Group Salary

The salary at The Poirier Group is competitive compared to other small boutique firms. Benefits extend beyond medical, vision and dental to include an on-site wellness center with a gym, sauna, and meditation/prayer room.

Conclusion

The Poirier Group is a boutique firm located in Toronto with an emphasis on culture. The “values based” management consulting firm works with clients across a broad range of industries and offers a myriad of functional support. If you’re looking for a consulting job in the Toronto market, consider The Poirier Group for your next career move!

For help in preparing a top-notch resume, or case interview prep, don’t hesitate to contact us!

 

Additional Resources:

• Top 25 Consulting Firms
• Boutique Consulting Firms
• Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
• Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide