The Best EMEA and APAC Consulting Firms to Work For in 2023

The Best EMEA and APAC Consulting Firms to Work For in 2023 was originally published on Firsthand.

We at Vault-Firsthand are pleased to announce our annual Rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The Consulting Rankings highlight the best firms in these regions across more than 40 categories and include the overall Top Consulting Firms in EMEA and Asia-Pacific, as well as the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms, the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area, the Best Consulting Firms for Diversity in several categories, and the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in key employment factors, including compensation, work/life balance, corporate culture, and more for each region.

Over the course of this past year, Vault-Firsthand worked closely with the world’s top consulting firms to coordinate the distribution of our annual survey to employees around the world. More than 17,000 consulting professionals participated in our survey across North America; , the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); and Asia-Pacific (APAC). More than 6,000 consultants participated in EMEA and APAC. Their responses form the basis of our EMEA and Asia-Pacific rankings.

These consultants’ invaluable insights give jobseekers an insider’s perspective when researching their next career move. Every year, we ask employees to rate their own firms on a scale of 1 to 10 based on firm culture, compensation, work/life balance, overall business outlook, satisfaction, and other employment factors. We also asked consultants to rate the prestige of peer firms and to select the strongest firms in more than a dozen specific practice areas; for the prestige and practice area rankings, consultants were unable to rate or vote for their own firms. The Vault-Firsthand Consulting 25 EMEA and Consulting 15 Asia-Pacific rankings are based on a weighted formula that combines each firm’s prestige rating with its scores in several key employment factors to come up with an overall list of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For.  

The Top 5 Consulting Firms in EMEA are:

1. Bain & Company
2. McKinsey & Company
3. Roland Berger
4. OC&C Strategy
5. Kearney

The Top 5 Consulting Firms in Asia-Pacific are:

1. Bain & Company
2. McKinsey & Company
3. Kearney
4. Roland Berger
5. OC&C Strategy Consultants

Bain & Company ranks No. 1 in EMEA and Asia-Pacific this year, taking McKinsey out of the top spots from last year. Bain is No. 1 in EMEA for Firm Culture, Firm Leadership, Formal Training, Informal Training, Interaction with Clients, Internal Mobility, Promotion Policies, and Overall Diversity. In Asia-Pacific, the firm cleaned up in Quality of Life rankings—it took the top spot in Benefits, Compensation, Firm Culture, Firm Leadership, Formal Training, Health and Wellness, Informal Training, Interaction with Clients, Internal Mobility, Level of Challenge, Overall Business Outlook, Promotion Policies, Relationships with Supervisors, Satisfaction, Selectivity, and Work/Life Balance. One employee in the Asia-Pacific region praises Bain’s culture, saying, “Hands down the most thoughtful people I have ever worked with. They always have your back, always ready to lend an ear, and they will never let you down. Just an amazing culture.”

McKinsey & Company is No. 2 in EMEA and Asia this year, dropping down one spot in both rankings. The firm also ranks No. 1 in prestige for both regions. In EMEA, it ranks No. 1 in Selectivity; Economic Consulting; Financial Consulting; Health Sciences Consulting; and Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Consulting. And in the Asia-Pacific region, it ranks No. 1 in Hours in the Office; Innovation; Economic Consulting; Financial Consulting; Pricing, Sales, and Marketing Consulting; and Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Consulting. One employee in the EMEA region commends the firm’s promotion and training process: “Promotion processes are very transparent, with honest apprenticeship and coaching. Also, trainings are truly amazing, with true wow moments. Additionally, firm rotations are very easy and it is encouraged to go abroad (if desired by employee).”

Roland Berger moves into the No. 3 spot in EMEA and No. 4 in APAC. In EMEA, it ranked No. 1 in Level of Challenge and Overall Business Outlook, and the firm racked up a fair few rankings in quality of life areas in the APAC region.

Kearney is new to the top 5 this year, taking No. 3 in Asia-Pacific and No. 5 in EMEA. The firm had a good showing in quality of life rankings, including No. 3 in Internal Mobility and Level of Challenge (APAC); No. 5 in Informal Training, Overall Business Outlook, and Selectivity (APAC); and No. 6 in Compensation and Firm Leadership in the APAC region, and No. 6 in Benefits in EMEA.

OC&C Strategy takes the No. 4 spot in EMEA and No. 5 spot in APAC this year. The firm also took No. 2 for Hours in Office in APAC, along with many other top rankings in quality of life areas in both regions.

Vault Ranks the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms in EMEA and Asia-Pacific

There aren’t often surprises in the ranking of the most prestigious consulting firms, and understandably so. This held true in this year’s North American rankings, and it holds true for both the EMEA and Asia-Pacific rankings, which saw the prestige rankings hold steady from last year.

Consultants who participate in our survey are not allowed to rate the prestige of their own firms; they can only rate their peers. The firms that rank are often the standard-bearers of the consulting industry—those global juggernauts whose influence and renown all but ensure near-universal name recognition.

The 5 Most Prestigious Consulting Firms in EMEA are:

1. McKinsey & Company
2. Boston Consulting Group
3. Bain & Company
4. Oliver Wyman
5. Kearney

The 5 Most Prestigious Consulting Firms in Asia-Pacific are:

1. McKinsey & Company
2. Boston Consulting Group
3. Bain & Company
4. Kearney
5. Oliver Wyman

Below are the rest of our Consulting Rankings for EMEA and Asia-Pacific, including our new Diversity Rankings.

Vault Ranks the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area for EMEA and Asia-Pacific:

Vault Ranks the Best Consulting Firms to Work For by Employment Factor for EMEA and Asia-Pacific:

Vault Ranks the Best Consulting Firms for Diversity for EMEA and Asia-Pacific:

View the complete Vault Consulting Rankings for North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.