Top Consulting Firms In Europe

The top consulting firms in Europe are companies that candidates all around the world compete for. After all, what’s not to love about Europe? The entire continent is steeped in beautiful architecture, delicious food, and inspiring culture.

If you’re not from Europe, working in a city like London and traveling to Italy, France, or Germany over weekends may sound great. Having the chance to do that while working at one of the top consulting firms in Europe and accelerating your career at the same time? Well, that’s just a dream come true.

Considerations Working For A European Consulting Firm

1. Only a few European economies are experiencing considerable economic growth while many others are not. The countries you’ll want to work in are the ones you would expect – the U.K., France, and Germany. These countries have always been the economic powerhouses of Europe and consequently have the most interesting and challenging consulting projects. Some firms in the Nordic countries have outstanding reputations and offer great opportunities as well. As a result, if you want to work in Europe, you’ll probably want to work in cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Copenhagen.
2. Your experience will be determined by the type of consulting your firm specializes in. Some of the top practice areas in Europe include management, strategy, economic, retail, healthcare, and operations consulting.
3. An important consideration is one of the most important of all – language! Though most of the top consulting firms primarily use English for business, you may have a tough time living in the city or connecting with your team and clients if you don’t speak the country’s native language.

Top 10 Consulting Firms in Europe – Overall

According to Vault’s list of top 2019 European consulting firms, a lot at the top are the usual suspects. However, there are some names that you may not have come across before if you’re from the states. Take a look at the list below:

1. McKinsey & Company
2. Bain & Company
3. Oliver Wyman
4. Roland Berger
5. Kearney
6. OC&C Strategy
7. Simon Kucher & Partners
8. Implement Consulting Group
9. QVARTZ
10. Arthur D. Little

What’s interesting to note is that one of the top consulting firms in the world, Boston Consulting Group, is missing. Additionally, none of the Big 4 Accounting firms (Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young, KPMG) with consulting practices crack into Vault’s list. These firms may not have made Vault’s list due to its criteria, but they are still noteworthy companies that offer fantastic experiences.

Top 10 Consulting Firms in Europe – Work / Life Balance

They say Americans live to work, while Europeans work to live. That may be true at most companies, but not necessarily at the top management consulting firms in Europe. Consultants at the top firms work hard no matter where the offices are located (albeit, likely a little less than their U.S. counterparts).

With that said, there are some companies who have built outstanding reputations for their work / life balance. See Vault’s top 10 consultancy firms in Europe who shine in this regard.

1. Frontier Economics
2. Implement Consulting Group
3. The Brattle Group
4. Mansfield Advisors
5. Emerton
6. McKinsey & Company
7. Bain & Company
8. Marakon
9. QVARTZ
10. Oliver Wyman

Top 10 Consulting Firms in Europe – Compensation

Compensation at the top consulting firms in Europe is not as high as in the U.S., but they are comparable. We know that compensation is an important factor for all candidates – how else are you going to fund those weekend trips to Italy, right?!

As a result, we’ve listed below Vault’s top consulting firms in Europe based on compensation.

1. Bain & Company
2. The Brattle Group
3. McKinsey & Company
4. OC&C
5. HTS Consulting
6. Frontier Economics
7. Marakon
8. Implement Consulting Group
9. Roland Berger
10. Oliver Wyman

Concluding Thoughts

Working in Europe is a fine option regardless of where you’re from. The top consulting firms have invested in the continent for decades and consequently have excellent track records, and strong client bases. There’s a lot to gain and little to lose working in Europe, so if you’re thinking about it, we say go for it!

Additional Reading:

• Top 25 Consulting Firms
• Consulting Firms – Top US Locations
• Consulting Firm Directory