Best Consulting Firms To Work For In 2018

PUTNAM ASSOCIATES POISED TO JOIN THE TOP 5

McKinsey wasn’t the only big winner in Vault’s Consulting 50. In a hotly-contested field, just holding onto a high rank can be considered a victory. So chalk one up for Deloitte Consulting and Oliver Wyman, which retained their 4th and 5th spots, despite their steep drop-off from the McKinsey-BCG-Bain troika. That’s said, don’t expect them to pop the cork just yet, as there are plenty of firms surging below them.

One is The Bridgespan Group, which caters to the nonprofit and philanthropy markets, hurdled to 6th place, upping their average by .136 in the process. That’s child play compared to Putnam Associates, a Boston firm that caters to medical and private equity clients. Ranked 32nd just two years ago, it finished 7th in 2018, including the top ranking in the all-important Compensation category. More impressive, it finished in the Top 5 in 17 categories and the Top 10 in all 22 categories — a feat that not even McKinsey could match. Unfortunately, Putnam’s reputation has yet to match its performance, as it doesn’t even rank among the Top 50 for Prestige — the only reason why it failed to crack Vault’s Top 5 consulting firms.

The Parthenon Group is another firm following in Putnam’s footsteps. Ranked 21st a year ago, it rocketed to 8th, a head scratcher considering it had only one Top 10 finish among the Work and Life categories (though it did move up seven spots to 14th in the Prestige ranking). On the other hand, the Ignyte Group made the biggest splash, debuting at 20th. A three year-old startup based in Washington, DC, Ignyte targets the digital technology and strategy niche. It also appeared in the Top 10 in eight Work and Life categories, even producing the highest scores in Hours, Vacation Policy, and Work-Life Balance. Even more impressive, it ranked 2nd in Compensation and 4th in Benefits.

Several firms also took a step back in the 2018 rankings. A.T. Kearney continued to ricochet around the Top 20. Ranking 17th in 2015, the firm bobbed from 9th to 7th and then back down to 14th in 2018. Worse, Strategy&, the remnant of a merger between Booz & Company and PWC’s strategy practice, has continued its free fall, going from 4th in 2015 to 18th now. At the same time, Scott Madden should thank the consulting Gods. In just two years, it has nose-dived from 22nd to 50th, barely holding onto its inclusion in the Vault 50.

Vault Consulting 50: Quality of Work and Life Categories

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