OC&C Strategy Consultants Interviews and Culture

Key Insights:

Pure-Play Strategy Focus: OC&C Strategy Consultants specializes exclusively in strategy consulting, with fast-paced engagements typically lasting 3 to 8 weeks across five core practice areas.
Structured Recruiting Process: Candidates face an online assessment, two rounds of case and fit interviews, and fixed cohort start dates in July and January for the U.S. market.
Flat Culture, Early Responsibility: Lean project teams and a non-hierarchical structure give consultants direct access to senior leadership and meaningful client exposure from day one.

OC&C Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm founded in London in 1987. The firm specializes exclusively in pure-play strategy consulting and serves clients across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. OC&C is also a certified B Corporation, reflecting its commitment to social and environmental performance standards.

In 2026, OC&C was named a Top Ranked Consulting Firm by Management Consulted. This profile provides an overview of the firm’s history, areas of focus, culture, recruiting process, and career considerations.

Key Stats for OC&C Strategy Consultants

Website	www.occstrategy.com
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Employees	Approximately 900
Locations	15 offices across 11 countries
Global Managing Partner	Will Hayllar
Estimated Annual Revenue	$200M+
Typical Engagement Cost	$500K+

OC&C Strategy Consultants History

Founded: 1987
Founders: Chris Outram and Geoff Cullinan
Original Location: London, United Kingdom

OC&C Strategy Consultants was founded in 1987 in London by Chris Outram and Geoff Cullinan, both former partners at Booz Allen & Hamilton. The firm was established with a focus on delivering pure-play strategy consulting, emphasizing high-impact strategic analysis for senior leadership teams.

Since its founding, OC&C has expanded internationally, building a presence across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. The United States is a key growth market for the firm, alongside the United Kingdom and Germany. In recent years, OC&C has increased hiring across multiple levels in North America, reflecting continued investment in its U.S. operations.

OC&C Strategy Consultants Functional Focus

OC&C Strategy Consultants believe winning as a challenger requires clarity of focus. The firm's focus is on strategy and strategy alone. OC&C believes this allows them to offer an increasingly differentiated proposition to both clients and talent, as larger consulting firms are broadening the range of services they offer.

OC&C’s projects are focused overwhelmingly on top-line growth strategy, and helping clients understand their market, customer and competitive context (rather than internal improvement opportunities). These projects are fast paced, typically lasting 3-8 weeks. This focus includes projects such as:

Corporate and business unit strategy planning
Customer segmentation and strategy
M&A strategy (including buy-side and sell-side due diligence)
Business expansion and new market entry (eg product strategy, geographical expansion)
Go-to-market optimization
Proposition & pricing

Industries

OC&C has developed its strategy around specific industries, and the firm professes the ability to better solve client issues due to its expertise in these areas:

- Consumer Goods
- Retail & Leisure
- Business Services
- Media
- Technology

Practice Areas

OC&C Strategy Consultants recognize that they are unable to compete with the bigger companies in terms of scope of services offered. Therefore, they have narrowed their expertise to five main areas:

- Corporate Strategy
- Business Unit Strategy
- Strategy Realization
- M&A and Private Equity
- Operational Strategy

Office Locations At OC&C Strategy Consultants

OC&C Strategy Consultants has 15 offices across 11 nations. The firm boasts a strong presence in Europe and is emerging in Asia and North America. The firm continues to invest in its U.S. operations, providing enhanced space for collaboration and growth.

Here is a list of OC&C Strategy Consultants locations:

United States:

- - Boston, MA
  - New York, NY

Asia:

- - Shanghai, China
  - Hong Kong
  - Sydney, Australia
  - Melbourne, Australia

South America:

- - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  - Sao Paulo, Brazil

Europe:

- - Düsseldorf, Germany
  - Rotterdam, Netherlands
  - Munich, Germany
  - London, United Kingdom
  - Milan, Italy
  - Paris, France
  - Warsaw, Poland

Career Path At OC&C

OC&C Strategy Consultants follows a structured consulting career progression model:

- Associate Consultant – Entry role for undergraduate hires
- Consultant – Entry role for MBA hires and experienced professionals
- Manager
- Associate Partner
- Partner

Advancement is performance-based, with promotion decisions tied to demonstrated impact, leadership development, and client contribution.

OC&C recruits from leading undergraduate and MBA programs and offers MBA sponsorship opportunities. However, an MBA is not required for hiring or promotion at any level, and career progression is based on performance rather than degree attainment.

Internships At OC&C

OC&C Strategy Consultants’ internships last eight weeks for both MBA and undergraduates (rising Seniors). After a week of training, interns are staffed on two different projects. Expect to be given the same amount of work and responsibility as an Associate Consultant or Consultant.

Your internship gives you broad sector expertise; you could be working on an M&A project, developing a new customer strategy, helping the executive team think through how to respond to market disruption, etc. The work you do throughout your internship will generally cover analysis of the client and market data, as well as primary research (customer interviews and surveys).

OC&C aims to train and give you a taste of what consultants do throughout your internship. This means that the projects you engage in will be fast-paced, intensive and brief. You’ll learn to think on your feet as you rapidly gain insights into a wide variety of challenges and business problems.

As part of its cultural focus on fostering a sense of community and camaraderie, OC&C local offices regularly organize office lunches, drinks, and sporting events – so you have that to look forward to as an intern.

Exit Opportunities

A good number of OC&C consultants go on to join the startup world, either as a Founder or a member of the core team in either a strategy or operational role.

Other common exit routes include joining an in-house corporate strategy team, joining investment firms (Private Equity or VC), or leaving to complete an MBA.

Notable Alumni

- Andy Anson (leader of England’s bid for the 2018 Football World Cup)
- Jeremy Hunt (Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK)

Target Schools

OC&C Strategy Consultants recruits from a range of leading universities across North America and globally.

In the United States, OC&C conducts structured campus recruiting at specific universities. Students from other institutions are also eligible to apply through the firm’s website, and a portion of undergraduate and MBA hires each year come from non-core schools.

United States - Undergraduate:

- Brown University
- Columbia University
- MIT
- Princeton University
- Wellesley College
- Williams College
- Yale University

U.K. – Undergraduate:

- Cambridge
- Imperial College
- London Business School
- London School of Economics
- Oxford

Global - MBA:

- Columbia Business School
- Judge Business School (Cambridge)
- London Business School
- INSEAD
- Saiid Business School (Oxford)

Diversity Programs

OC&C Strategy Consultants has expanded its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recent years across recruitment, retention, and career development initiatives. The firm has publicly acknowledged that increasing representation at senior levels remains an ongoing priority.

Recruitment Initiatives

OC&C has implemented process changes intended to broaden access and reduce bias in hiring, including:

- Blinded résumé review in parts of the recruitment process
- Targeted recruiting events for candidates from historically underrepresented groups
- Senior mentorship programs supporting prospective candidates
- Expanded outreach efforts at select universities

In the United States, the firm reports that approximately 60% of undergraduate hires over the past four years have been women. The firm has also reported progress in improving ethnic representation among recent hires.

Internal Networks and Ongoing Support

OC&C operates several employee-led networks designed to provide community and professional development support, including:

- Women’s Network
- LGBTQ+ Network
- Ethnic, Cultural and Social Diversity Network

These groups facilitate mentorship, programming, and internal dialogue across offices.

Career Sustainability Policies

OC&C has introduced policies intended to support long-term career sustainability, including:

- Equalized parental leave policy providing 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents
- Consideration of caregiving accommodations in partner evaluation and remuneration discussions
- Up to four weeks of unpaid leave annually in addition to paid time off
- Select flexible working arrangements, including four-day working models for certain senior staff

OC&C continues to evaluate and refine its diversity and inclusion strategy, with particular focus on representation at senior leadership levels.

OC&C Culture

OC&C Strategy Consultants is structured as a relatively flat organization, enabling regular interaction across levels, from interns to partners. Project teams are typically lean, which can increase visibility and collaboration across seniority levels.

Given the firm’s focus on strategy engagements, consultants may spend more time working from their home office compared to models that rely heavily on extended on-site implementation work. Staffing models are designed to provide early client exposure and meaningful responsibility.

Work Environment

Key characteristics frequently associated with OC&C’s working model include:

Lean project teams
Direct access to senior leadership
Early client-facing responsibility
Cross-office collaboration

As with most strategy consulting firms, working hours can be demanding and project timelines may require flexibility.

Professional Development

OC&C expects consultants to take an active role in managing their professional development. While the firm provides mentorship and performance feedback, career progression is closely tied to individual initiative, performance, and leadership contribution. Consultants are encouraged to seek out stretch opportunities and actively shape their career trajectory within the firm.

Core Values

OC&C Strategy Consultants articulates three core values that guide its client work, sector focus, and internal culture.

1. We Know What We’re Good At

OC&C focuses on the sectors and specialisms where it believes it has distinctive expertise. The firm prioritizes engagements that align with its capabilities, emphasizing depth over breadth in its service offering.

2. We’re Relentless in Our Pursuit of the Right Answer

The firm emphasizes intellectual rigor, curiosity, and analytical independence. Teams are encouraged to challenge assumptions and communicate candidly, with the goal of identifying solutions that address client needs directly.

3. We Partner Deeply. Deliver Decisively.

OC&C describes its approach as collaborative and impact-oriented. The firm prioritizes building trust with clients through open dialogue and constructive challenge, while focusing on delivering actionable strategic outcomes.

OC&C Interviews and Recruiting

OC&C Strategy Consultants evaluates candidates through a structured, multi-stage recruiting process that assesses academic performance, analytical ability, and overall fit with the firm.

Application Screening

Initial screening typically considers:

Academic performance
Relevant work experience
Leadership and extracurricular involvement

In the United States, OC&C operates fixed cohort start dates in July and January. The firm does not generally conduct just-in-time hiring in the U.S. market.

Online Assessment

As part of its screening process, OC&C administers an online assessment. Key details include:

Approximately 45 minutes in length
GMAT-style quantitative and logical reasoning questions
Data interpretation and problem-solving exercises
Timed environment
Numerical and one-way video components

The assessment is designed to evaluate quantitative reasoning, comfort with data analysis, and structured thinking under time constraints.

First-Round Interviews

Candidates who advance beyond the online assessment are typically invited to first-round interviews, conducted either on campus or virtually.

First-round interviews generally include:

Two back-to-back interviews
A combination of case and fit (behavioral) questions
Case interviews lasting approximately 30 minutes each

Interviewers assess structured problem-solving, communication skills, and business judgment.

Second-Round Interviews

Final-round interviews are typically conducted in person at an OC&C office, though virtual formats may be used when necessary.

The second round generally includes:
Two additional case interviews
Interviews led by Partners or Associate Partners
A separate interview day from the first round

Candidates invited to the final round are often paired with an Associate Consultant “buddy” who can provide information about the firm and answer questions about the interview experience.

Interview Expectations

OC&C interviewers evaluate candidates on analytical rigor, clarity of communication, and composure under pressure. Candidates should be prepared for direct questioning and follow-up challenges designed to test depth of reasoning and adaptability.

OC&C Podcasts:

Conclusion

OC&C Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm focused exclusively on pure-play strategy engagements across selected sectors and geographies. With a structured career path, performance-driven promotion model, and defined recruiting process, the firm offers consultants early responsibility and direct client exposure.

Candidates considering OC&C should evaluate alignment with its sector-focused model, analytical rigor, and expectations around individual ownership of career development.

OC&C Strategy Consultants