Vereinigtes Königreich

For enquiries only, please email recruitment@occstrategy.com.

Alex
Partner
“OC&C appealed to me because the firm is young and fast-growing.”

After my studies I became a management trainee at a telecommunication company in Hong Kong, but gravitated to strategy consulting in search of something less routine and formalised, and more intellectually challenging. OC&C appealed to me because the firm is young and fast-growing, which of course means loads of opportunities and the people are all so enthusiastic.

Working on an expansion strategy project for a beverage company in Indonesia where we didn’t even speak the language was pretty challenging! It let me learn the foundation work of doing market sizing/competitive analysis, customer home visits in cities throughout the country to understand customer preference, visiting warehouses/distribution centres to understand the supply chain operation, and traversing a forest in search of a spring suitable for production.

OC&C is truly internationalised, and your team is never limited to your own office colleagues. I have enjoyed working with colleagues from other offices through the ambassador program, and learning about the different working approaches, cultural values and management styles

Anthony
Associate Partner

I've found work-life at OC&C alternately interesting, amusing, stretching and tough - but above all enjoyable. During the tough times the people around you help to get you through. Plus I feel I've developed both professionally and in terms of the perspective I have on what's important in life - and what is less so!

I recently spent six months on secondment at a large supermarket chain, primarily looking at the effectiveness of their marketing activity. This provided both a chance to apply the consulting 'toolkit' to a non-standard problem, but more importantly an opportunity to get exposed to, and involved with, day to day activity across the business - an invaluable series of learnings to apply to consulting as I return to OC&C, and indeed for my career more generally.

What is the best thing about working at OC&C? The people, hands down. I made a lot of good friends when I joined OC&C, many of whom are still with OC&C and some who have since moved on to other things, but all still remain genuine friends.

Advice for prospective applicants? Read slightly behind what the brochures tell you. Get talking to the staff and find out what they are working on. If you like them and what they're doing, you've probably found the right fit. Remember, there's no 'one size fits all' company; different companies suit different people.

Nic
Partner

Before joining OC&C, I did a 4-year Physics degree at St John's, Oxford.

I chose strategy consulting because I strongly believe it's the most interesting job in the world (as well as being nicely remunerated!) and I chose OC&C very simply because, of all the people I met at recruitment presentations, they were the ones I got on with best.

I would describe work life at OC&C as fascinating, eclectic, at times a bit hectic, and always stretching – every week I learn new things. I spend about 50% of my time over-seeing projects: making sure the team is working effectively, bringing experience from other projects and taking ultimate responsibility for client satisfaction. The other 50% is split between firm development (making OC&C an ever-better business) and in having interesting conversations with senior business people who might one day have a need for OC&C’s services.

What’s the best thing about working at OC&C?

- the virtuous circle of culture and people. A culture in which everyone cares about doing an excellent job and which encourages eclecticism of interest – which helpfully tends to appeal to the brightest and best undergraduates and MBAs!

- being a part of OC&C's growth and development: we've come a long way, but there are still so many things which anyone in the firm could take an interest in, and make the company even stronger
 

Vivek
Partner

Before joining OC&C I had a fairly unusual mix of careers before joining the firm. A degree in History at Cambridge didn't set me up with a vocation (!), so I experimented with vocations before switching tack completely to get a Chartered Accountant qualification with Ernst & Young. Unsurprisingly, I left accounting to join OC&C as soon as I'd qualified!

I loved the fact that consultants were out there to tackle issues that were really important to clients and I chose to move to OC&C because I knew I wasn't interested in a consulting firm with a rule book.

OC&C's own stellar success over the last several years has made it a great place to work mainly because the challenges keep getting bigger and bigger. There is also a strong entrepreneurial ethos - if you have something to say that will benefit the client then you are encouraged to say it; we're small enough that every consultant counts!

Will
Partner

I joined OC&C after reading Engineering at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Strategy consulting appealed as a career because it combined the intellectual challenge I was looking for with many of the things I’d found lacking in most of the engineering placements I had done: colleagues with consistently high levels of ability and motivation, rapid development opportunities and the ability to influence the key decisions made by businesses right from the start of my career.

I was keen to join a firm where strategy was the core of the business rather than an adjunct to much larger operational and systems consulting divisions; a firm that was large enough to offer a broad range of experience and opportunity but small enough for people to feel a sense of ownership and be able to make a difference. OC&C was one of a small number of companies that fitted those criteria. My final decision came down to the people I’d met through the recruitment process. They seemed bright, enthusiastic and committed to their work, but also committed to enjoying life both in and out of work.

The things that first appealed about OC&C are still a large part of what has kept me here, and what make me enthusiastic about the firm. The quality of the people I work with, and the sense of achievement when we deliver insightful conclusions to clients and change the way they think about their business, make it a very rewarding place to work.

Rebecca
Associate Consultant

After attending the ISW in Istanbul during my final year of my degree I was sure strategy consulting was the career for me and OC&C was the place to do it. The people I met during the workshop were interesting, motivated and friendly individuals - nothing like the corporate clones I had envisaged all consultants as! The ISW case study also gave me a taste of the varied and fascinating work that I would undertake as an associate consultant and convinced me OC&C was the place to be.

On starting at OC&C it was refreshing to find that the culture and spirit of the firm that I had experienced in Istanbul was a core part of the office environment. I joined the Ministry of Fun (MoF) a few months after starting and help to organise social events and activities funded by the firm. We ensure there is good range of events from informal Friday night drinks to more unusual activities – in the past 6 months alone we have been cheese tasting, held a poker night and spent the weekend in Ibiza. It is testament to the OC&C culture that attendance at these events is high, from associates right through to partners.

Aside from the culture, what keeps me at OC&C is that I am constantly developing my skill set, my experiences and myself. The variety of work and the level of responsibility and involvement you are expected to take on from day one ensure that you are always encountering new situations and undertaking new roles. Projects are short, the sector and project types are varied and my role diverse. It is rare that there are ever two days the same and that's exactly what I wanted from my career!
 

Alex
Associate Consultant

I studied Engineering at Pembroke College Cambridge and decided I wanted a fast paced career working in a highly stimulating environment with talented colleagues. Having interned at a variety of companies, including a number of engineering firms and an investment consultancy, I felt a career with a strategy consulting firm would be able to offer me the best opportunity.

Projects come in variety of types at OC&C but they are typically quite short in length, covering a wide breadth of industries, which really gives you a great understanding of a number of different areas and an excellent start to your career. It also means that you are constantly kept on your toes and being pushed to the limits of your ability! But there's no need to worry, the great part about OC&C is that there is a terrific support network of smart and interesting people who will be more than willing to help you through any challenges.

OC&C is a unique place to work, combining the benefits of a big company in terms of clients you get to work for but with the entrepreneurial atmosphere of a smaller company. The combination of people and work make OC&C the ideal place to start your career.

Carolyn
Associate Consultant

I studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and then went on to complete a PhD in Organic Chemistry.  I wasn't 100% sure what route to follow at the end of my PhD, so followed the typical science conveyor belt and moved to the US (Stanford) to do a post-doc in Medicinal Chemistry.  At the end of my post-doc I was offered the chance to work with a start-up biotech in Singapore – I was super excited about the possibility of living in Asia and jumped at the chance!  However I always had a nagging voice in my head telling me I didn't want to spend my life in front of a fume-hood so I took the plunge and switched to the exciting world of strategy consulting!

Projects are relatively short at OC&C so you will gain insight into multiple industries and get to work with a wide variety of people within months of joining.  As a result, you are constantly learning and will be thoroughly stretched from day one.  The strong sense of teamwork means that navigating these challenges is always a collaborative process and generally lots of fun.

OC&C is full of smart and interesting people with great wit and banter. It's the combination of interesting, challenging work and the super people that make working at OC&C so great and mean I have never regretted my career switch.

Ross
Consultant

After a couple of years working at a management consultancy in South Africa, I decided to go back to school to study a Masters degree in Economic History. Getting the offer from OC&C made the decision to stay in London an easy one.

There were a number of reasons I decided on OC&C. It offers a good mix of sectors in which I'm interested. It's small enough that you can have an impact but big enough that you can work on a range of different types of projects. And you get to work with incredibly smart and interesting people who don't take themselves too seriously.

One of my favourite aspects of the OC&C approach is that we focus on answering questions our clients care about rather than applying a set formula or template solution. It means the learning curve is steep. You're required to become an expert on a specific aspect of an industry in a very short space of time; sometimes in such obscure topics that you can become a global expert. And from the start your opinions are valued. It can be hectic, but it's always interesting.

Mairi
Consultant

I first came across OC&C when I was working at a service company between my third and fourth years of studying Chemistry at Brasenose College, Oxford. I was working for the internal strategy team and OC&C came in to do a project. I was impressed with the enthusiasm and insight OC&C showed and generally how nice everyone was, which led me to apply for a job in the milkround that year.

Once at OC&C I was pleased to see that what I had observed from the outside was true on the inside too. OC&C is full of smart, enthusiastic, fun people that it is a pleasure to spend your time with. Projects tend to be relatively short, and very varied in terms of industry and questions to answer which means that you are continually challenged to become an expert in a new industry and learn about new aspects of business. I have looked at everything from Christmas Puddings to meat processing and genomics!

The variety and high standards of work, along with getting to work on questions that really matter to and shape our clients means that I am continually surprised at how much I enjoy the consulting process. Combine that with people who like to enjoy life at and outside of work, and I can’t imagine a better place to work.