Strategy (Most Common)

Head of Strategy, CSO, VP Strategy at corporates, conglomerates, and startups. The most natural landing. Look for: can they implement, not just advise?

M&A / Corporate Dev

M&A Head, Corporate Development — especially for consultants with deal exposure. Look for: have they been in the data room, not just the strategy deck?

Chief of Staff

CEO's strategic right hand. Consulting rigour + execution orientation. Look for: comfort with operational coordination, not just analysis.

General Management

P&L ownership in a BU or geography. Fastest path for top consultants. Look for: genuine desire to own outcomes, not just advise on them.

PE / VC

Investment professional or operating partner. MBB→PE is a common path. Look for: analytical depth AND commercial judgment.

Entrepreneurship

Many top consultants start companies. Consulting alumni are disproportionately represented among Indian startup founders.

What Consultants Bring

Structured problem-solving, rapid analytical synthesis, executive communication, cross-industry perspective, and hypothesis-driven thinking. These are genuine superpowers in corporate environments.

What Consultants Must Learn

Owning outcomes (not just recommendations), navigating internal politics, managing without authority, living with imperfect information, and building something over years — not weeks.

Green Flag Signals

Has done an internship at a corporate. Has led implementation, not just strategy. Has managed a P&L or a team in a line role. Has stayed in a corporate role for 2+ years without going back to consulting.

Red Flag Signals

Multiple corporate stints each shorter than 18 months. Can't name a specific decision they owned end-to-end. "I want to see what execution feels like" — without having thought through what that means.

Post-Merger Integration Lead

Needs M&A experience AND operational implementation experience. Most consultants have done DD but not integration. Most operators have done integration but not M&A. The combination is very rare.

PE Operating Partner

Needs C-suite credibility + consulting analytical toolkit + PE commercial understanding. Must be respected by operators AND investors. Fewer than 200 genuine PE operating partners in India.

CSO for a Conglomerate

Group-level strategy requires: multi-business thinking, board access, political navigation, and the ability to influence without authority. Most CSOs have one or two of the four.

ESG Strategy Head

Technical ESG knowledge (BRSR, GHG, TCFD) + business consulting ability + board communication. This combination barely exists in India — most are learning on the job.

Chief of Staff (CEO Office)

The role is entirely defined by the CEO's working style. Finding a CoS who matches the specific CEO's needs AND has the right analytical background is a fit problem, not a market problem.

Government Practice Partner

Must have commercial consulting credibility AND government relationship depth AND patience for public sector procurement cycles. Rarely found — most have one, not all three.

For any consulting → corporate transition

"Tell me about a recommendation you made that wasn't implemented — and what you did about it." Tests whether they understand that consulting advice and corporate outcomes are different things.

For strategy roles

"What's the most important strategic bet your last company made that you disagreed with — and how did you engage with it?" Tests intellectual honesty and ability to disagree productively.

For M&A / Corp Dev

"Walk me through a deal you killed — what was the thesis, what did you find, and how did you present the recommendation not to proceed?" Tests rigour and judgment over deal enthusiasm.

For Chief of Staff

"What's the most unglamorous thing you've done in your last role — the thing that was essential but nobody saw?" Tests whether they've genuinely done operational work, not just strategic work.

🌟 MBB Alumni

Signal: Analytical rigour, structured communication, IIM/ISB pedigree, used to working with CEOs/boards.
Watch for: Can they implement? Have they ever been wrong and lived with it?
Best for: CSO, corporate strategy head, PE operating partner.

🏭 Big 4 Advisory Alumni

Signal: Broader client base, implementation experience, compliance and governance orientation, team management at scale.
Watch for: Was their work truly advisory, or was it largely reporting and documentation?
Best for: Head of risk, internal audit transformation, finance transformation.

💻 IT Consulting Alumni (TCS, Infosys)

Signal: Large programme management, technology domain depth, multi-year client relationships.
Watch for: Is their experience consulting (advisory) or delivery (implementation)? Different profiles.
Best for: Digital transformation, large programme management, technology strategy.

🎯 Boutique Specialist Alumni

Signal: Very deep in one domain (pharma analytics, FS strategy, operations). Less brand recognition but often more depth.
Watch for: Is their specialisation relevant to the mandate? Over-specialised candidates struggle in generalist roles.
Best for: Specialist industry or capability mandates where depth outweighs brand.

MBB Consulting

Associate/Analyst: ₹25-45L

Engagement Manager: ₹55-90L

Principal/AP: ₹100-180L

Partner/MD: ₹200L-1Cr+

Bonus at EM level: 30-50% of base

Big 4 Advisory

Senior Analyst: ₹12-22L

Manager: ₹22-45L

Director: ₹50-90L

Partner: ₹100-250L

GCC/India delivery roles: 20-30% lower than onshore

In-House Corporate Strategy

Strategy Manager (ex-consulting): ₹25-60L

Head of Strategy: ₹60-120L

CSO (large corporate): ₹120-300L

CSO (conglomerate): ₹250L-1Cr+

Ex-MBB commands 25-40% premium

Chief of Staff

CoS (startup, 3-6 yrs): ₹25-55L + ESOP

CoS (large corporate): ₹45-90L

CoS (conglomerate CEO office): ₹80-160L

Startup CoS: significant ESOP component

M&A / Corporate Dev

Corp Dev Manager: ₹30-65L

Head of Corp Dev: ₹70-150L

VP/SVP Corp Dev: ₹120-250L

PE deal bonus can be significant at senior levels

PE Operating Partner

Operating Director: ₹80-200L

Operating Partner: ₹150-400L + carry

Senior Operating Partner: ₹300L+ + carry

Carried interest (carry) can be 5-10x salary at exit

Scenario 1: The Consultant Who Can't Land

MBB Senior Consultant (7 years, IIM-A, strong track record). Wants to move to corporate strategy. Has had 3 corporate strategy offers — accepted one, left after 11 months, turned down two. Now looking again.

The move: The pattern is the signal. Three near-misses in 2 years suggests this person knows how to get the offer but not how to stay in the role. Ask: "What specifically didn't work in the role you accepted?" If the answer is vague ("culture mismatch"), push harder. The real answer usually reveals something about their readiness for corporate rather than consulting life.

Scenario 2: Tier-Mixing (Big 4 for MBB Mandate)

Client says "We want an ex-MBB strategy head." Budget: ₹80L. The best candidate you have is from KPMG Advisory — sharp, articulate, 12 years strategy work, currently at ₹60L. No MBB pedigree.

The move: Understand what "ex-MBB" actually means to the client — is it the analytical rigour, the brand signal to their board, or the specific problem-solving approach? Present the KPMG candidate with a clear framing: "No MBB pedigree, but here's the evidence of equivalent analytical depth." Show the work, not the brand. Some clients will accept; others genuinely need the brand for internal reasons — be honest about that.

Scenario 3: The Chief of Staff Search

Startup CEO (Series C, ₹300Cr ARR) hiring first Chief of Staff. Budget ₹55-70L. They've interviewed 8 people in 3 months and rejected them all. "We'll know it when we see it."

The move: Stop the search. Have a calibration conversation: "What specifically didn't work in each of the 8 people you interviewed?" If you can't get specifics, the brief isn't real yet. The 'I'll know it when I see it' CoS search usually reveals that the CEO hasn't thought through what they actually need — admin bandwidth management, strategic project execution, or an accountability partner. Name the three types and ask which they want.

Scenario 4: The Returning Consultant

Strong candidate — left McKinsey 3 years ago as Project Leader for a Head of Strategy role at a mid-size company. Now wants to leave corporate and go back to consulting. Client is excited: "Ex-MBB + corporate experience — perfect!"

The move: Probe hard with the client: why did this person leave McKinsey? Why did they leave corporate after 3 years? And why are they going back to consulting rather than to another corporate role? People who bounce between consulting and corporate without committing to either are a risk. The candidate may be excellent — but the pattern deserves scrutiny before the client overcommits.

Scenario 5: ESG Strategy Head — No One Fits

Listed company mandated to do BRSR from FY24. Hiring Head of ESG Strategy. Client wants: BRSR + GRI + carbon accounting + board communication + commercial business case development. Budget ₹60-80L. You cannot find a single candidate with all five.

The move: Nobody has all five — this role doesn't exist as a pre-formed profile in India. Reframe for the client: "You can hire a technical ESG expert (strong on BRSR/carbon) and develop the commercial skills, OR hire a consulting/strategy person and develop the ESG technical knowledge. What's the business-critical requirement in the first 6 months?" The answer usually reveals which trade-off makes more sense.

Scenario 6: PE Operating Partner for a Startup

Founder-led startup (Series C) needs an "operations partner" to help scale. They're inspired by the PE operating partner model. Budget: ₹80L equity-heavy. Best candidates are all at MBB or Big 4 — none have operational line management experience.

The move: The PE operating partner model requires someone who has actually run operations — not just advised on them. Pure consultants as operating partners at startups is a well-documented failure pattern. Help the client articulate what they actually need: is it a COO (operational leadership), a CSO (strategic clarity), or a Chief of Staff (bandwidth management)? Each is a different profile. Don't let consulting pedigree substitute for operational experience.

MECE

Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive — the principle for structuring issues and analyses without gaps or overlaps. Core consulting analytical framework. Every serious consulting candidate should be able to explain MECE and use it in a conversation.

Hypothesis-Driven

Starting with a hypothesis (educated guess about the answer) and testing it — rather than gathering all data and then concluding. MBB's core analytical approach. Ask candidates: "Give me an example of when your initial hypothesis was wrong — what changed it?"

Up-or-Out

The consulting promotion model where consultants either advance to the next level within a timeframe or leave the firm. Typical timelines: Associate (2-3 yrs) → Manager → Principal → Partner. Understanding where a candidate is in this cycle matters.

Book of Business

The client relationships and revenue that a partner personally brings to and maintains at a consulting firm. Senior consulting partners are valued by their book — their ability to generate new client work. Critical for assessing partner-level candidates.

QoE (Quality of Earnings)

A due diligence analysis that normalises a company's earnings to identify sustainable vs one-time items. Core deliverable of transaction advisory (Big 4 deals). Senior transaction advisory candidates should be fluent in QoE methodology.

Workstream

A component of a consulting engagement focused on a specific area (e.g., commercial workstream, operations workstream, IT workstream). Understanding which workstream a candidate led reveals their depth and breadth within a project.