Australia’s top and largest strategy consulting firms
Estimated at around a quarter of Australia’s multi-billion-dollar consulting market, strategy is the industry’s flagship segment. Meet Australia’s leading strategy consulting firms.
Globally, strategy consulting is widely regarded as the most prestigious segment of the consultancy landscape. Executives and senior managers hire strategy consultants to advise them on their most pressing and high impact challenges, from the development of a new corporate strategy or entry into a new market to the setup of an entire new business line.
Strategy consulting firms also support their clients with business unit strategy, business planning, commercial due diligence, business case planning, organisation strategy and business model innovation, among others. In the public sector, strategy consulting work mainly revolves around public policy development, business case / planning work and strategic support to large federal programs.
Not surprising therefore is that strategy consulting is one of the most in-demand segment among consultants and graduates. In global rankings of consulting firms, consultants consistently position players specialised in strategic consulting services among the most prestigious firms, while students relish a career in the industry’s most exclusive area notorious for its steep learning curve and the opportunity to work with the sector’s brightest minds.
Australia’s strategy consulting industry is estimated at around US$1.5 billion, which represents roughly a quarter of the country’s US$5.8 billion consulting industry. An overview of the leading strategy consulting firms with a presence in Australia:
McKinsey & Company
Founded: 1926
McKinsey launched in Australia 50+ years ago
Offices in Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Managing Partner: Angus Dawson
Global Managing Partner: Kevin Sneader
ANZ company profile: McKinsey & Company
Boston Consulting Group
Founded: 1963
BCG launched in Australia in 1990 following a merger with Pappas, Carter, Evans and Koop (PCEK)
Offices in Australia: Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Managing Partner: Andrew Clark
Global Managing Partner: Rich Lesser
ANZ company profile: Boston Consulting Group
Bain & Company
Founded: 1973
Bain & Company launched in Australia in 1989
Offices in Australia: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Managing Partner: Peter Stumbles
Global Managing Partner: Manny Maceda
ANZ company profile: Bain & Company
Oliver Wyman
Founded: 1984
Launched in Australia in 2004. Part of the Marsh McLennan Group
Office in Australia: Sydney
Managing Partner: Ibon Garcia Sanz
Global Managing Partner: Scott McDonald
ANZ company profile: Oliver Wyman (not active)
Kearney
Founded: 1926
Kearney, formerly A.T. Kearney, launched in Australia in 1987
Offices in Australia: Sydney and Melbourne
Managing Partner: Adam Dixon
Global Managing Partner: Alex Liu
ANZ company profile: Kearney (not active)
L.E.K. Consulting
Founded: 1983
L.E.K. Consulting launched in Australia in 1987
Offices in Australia: Melbourne and Sydney
Managing Partner: Nick Holder
Global Managing Partner: Stuart Jackson
ANZ company profile: L.E.K. Consulting (not active)
Monitor Deloitte
Founded: 2013
Established after Deloitte acquired The Monitor Group in 2013
Offices in Australia: Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney
Managing Partner: Jeremy Drumm
CEO of Deloitte: Richard Deutsch
ANZ company profile: Monitor Deloitte (not active)
Strategy&
Founded: 2013
Formerly Booz & Company, became part of PwC in 2013
Offices in Australia: Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney
Managing Partner Strategy&: Ben Gilbertson
CEO of PwC: Luke Sayers
ANZ company profile: Strategy& (not active)
EY-Parthenon
Founded: 2014
Became part of EY after the firm acquired The Parthenon Group in 2014
Offices in Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
Managing Partner EY-Parthenon: Jeremy Barker
CEO of EY: Tony Johnson
ANZ company profile: EY-Parthenon (not active)
KPMG Strategy
Founded: 2014
KPMG’s Global Strategy Group was formed in 2014
Offices in Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
Managing Partner KPMG Strategy: Margaret Cowle
CEO of KPMG: Gary Wingrove
ANZ company profile: KPMG Strategy (not active)
Corporate Value Associates
Founded: 1987
Corporate Value Associates launched in Australia in 1993
Office in Australia: Sydney and Melbourne
Managing Partner: Bruno Salle
Global Managing Partner: Paul-André Rabate
ANZ company profile: Corporate Value Associates (not active)
Simon Kucher & Partners
Founded: 1985
Simon Kucher & Partners launched in Australia in 2010
Office in Australia: Sydney
Managing Partner: Christoph Petzoldt
Global Managing Partners: Mark Billige and Andreas von der Gathen
ANZ company profile: Simon Kucher & Partners (not active)
Port Jackson Partners
Founded: 1991
Office in Australia: Sydney
Managing Partner: Byron Pirola
Acquired by EY-Parthenon in May 2020
AlphaBeta Advisors
Founded: 2015
Offices in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra
Managing Partner: Andrew Charlton
Acquired by Accenture Strategy in March 2020
A number of leading global strategy consulting firms such as Roland Berger, Arthur D. Little and OC&C Strategy Consultants have not been profiled as – while they deliver engagements through fly-in teams, they do not have an office in Australia.
Are we missing a leading strategy consulting firm in Australia? Tip Consultancy.com.au’s editorial board.
