Key Insights
- Top-Ranked European Boutique: E.CA Economics has been named in Global Competition Review's top 21 competition economics groups every year since 2008, making it one of the most consistently recognized firms in European antitrust economics.
- Highly Specialized Practice: The firm focuses exclusively on competition economics, advising law firms, companies, and regulators on mergers, antitrust, state aid, and regulatory matters across Europe and beyond.
- Strong Academic Roots: E.CA is a partner of ESMT Berlin, Germany's highest-ranked business school, giving its economists direct access to cutting-edge economic research and a distinctive research-meets-practice culture.
E.CA Economics is a specialist economic consulting firm that focuses entirely on competition policy and regulation. Founded in Berlin in 2007, the firm advises law firms, corporations, and government authorities on some of the most complex and high-profile competition cases in Europe. If you're an economist with a strong quantitative background and an interest in antitrust, merger control, or regulatory economics, E.CA Economics is worth putting on your radar.
The firm is not a generalist management consultancy. E.CA operates in a narrow but high-stakes niche: applying rigorous economic analysis to help clients navigate competition law. Its work spans merger reviews before the European Commission, cartel damages litigation, state aid proceedings, and regulatory investigations across more than 15 European jurisdictions. Think of it as the go-to economic expert for the most consequential antitrust cases on the continent.
Firm Key Stats
| Website | www.e-ca.com |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| Employees | 50+ professional economists and support staff |
| Offices | Berlin, Brussels, London, Munich |
| Managing Directors | Hans W. Friederiszick and Rainer Nitsche |
| Annual Revenue | Not publicly disclosed |
E.CA Economics Careers
Working at E.CA Economics means immersing yourself in high-stakes competition cases from day one. The firm operates with a non-hierarchical team structure, which means junior economists contribute meaningfully to projects rather than spending years producing background research that never reaches a client. If you want to see your analysis shape the outcome of a major European merger or cartel case, E.CA offers that kind of exposure early in your career.
The firm places a strong emphasis on professional development. Its partnership with ESMT Berlin creates a genuine research-and-practice balance that is rare in economics consulting. Economists at E.CA are encouraged to publish their own work, attend conferences, and engage with the academic community, all while working on live client cases. That dual focus attracts candidates who want more than a traditional consulting role.
E.CA also offers internationally competitive compensation and a team culture that multiple insiders have described as warm and collaborative. The firm is an equal opportunity employer with a multilingual, international workforce. E.CA Economics Careers are open to economists at all levels of seniority, from analysts fresh out of a master's program to experienced directors with years of antitrust work behind them.
E.CA Economics Internship
E.CA Economics does accept interns, and the firm has participated in career events at top European economics graduate programs to recruit them. One intern described the 2024 experience as highly positive, citing strong culture, a collaborative team, and a good work-life balance. Internships are primarily aimed at postgraduate students, particularly those completing master's or PhD programs in economics. The firm has actively recruited at events hosted by the Barcelona School of Economics and Tilburg University, among others.
If you're pursuing an E.CA Economics internship, focus your application on your quantitative and econometric skills. The firm values rigorous analytical thinking and the ability to present complex economic ideas clearly. Internship positions are based across the firm's four offices, with Berlin being the primary hub. Check the careers page regularly and attend any career fair events where E.CA is present, as these are often your best entry point.
E.CA Economics Jobs
E.CA Economics hires economists across all experience levels, from junior economists out of graduate programs to senior practitioners with deep antitrust expertise. Open roles have included economist, senior economist, manager, principal, and associate principal positions, as well as occasional administrative and HR roles. The firm looks for strong econometrics backgrounds, proficiency in statistical software, and the ability to work effectively in international team settings.
For the latest E.CA Economics jobs and other competition economics roles, visit the MC Job Board to explore open positions across the consulting landscape.
Practice Areas
E.CA Economics focuses exclusively on competition economics and regulation. Every service the firm offers falls within this specialized domain, which is what makes it a go-to resource for law firms and corporations facing high-stakes antitrust proceedings.
- Mergers: Phase I and Phase II economic analysis for merger control proceedings before the European Commission and national competition authorities
- Cartels and Anticompetitive Agreements: Economic analysis of horizontal and vertical agreements, cartel investigations, and competition damages litigation
- Abuse of Dominant Position: Analysis of exclusionary conduct, margin squeeze, refusal to supply, and predatory pricing
- State Aid: Economic assessment of state aid measures, impact studies, and advice on EU state aid frameworks
- Regulation: Advice on access regulation, rate setting, and market design in regulated industries
- Intellectual Property and Innovation: Expert analysis in cases at the intersection of antitrust and IP
Industries
E.CA Economics works across a wide range of sectors wherever competition economics and antitrust issues arise. The firm's economists have handled cases in the following industries, among others:
- Telecommunications
- Retail and consumer goods
- Energy and utilities
- Financial services
- Transport and logistics
- Pharmaceuticals and healthcare
- Technology and digital platforms
- Industrial goods and manufacturing
- Media and broadcasting
E.CA Economics Locations
E.CA Economics operates across four European cities, giving it coverage of the continent's major regulatory and legal hubs. The firm's office network is strategically positioned to serve clients appearing before both EU-level and national competition authorities. For the full contact details of each office, visit e-ca.com.
- Berlin, Germany (Headquarters): Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin
- Brussels, Belgium: Avenue Louise 500, 1050 Brussels
- Munich, Germany: Wittelsbacherstr. 15, 80469 Munich
- London, United Kingdom: Pennybank Chambers, 33-35 St John's Square, London EC1M 4DS
Career Path
E.CA Economics has a clear career progression from economist to senior economist, manager, principal, associate principal, and director. The firm regularly promotes from within and publicly celebrates promotions each year, which signals that advancement is a genuine expectation rather than an afterthought. The pace of progression depends on performance and the complexity of cases you take on.
The firm does not appear to operate a strict "up or out" policy in the way that traditional MBB firms do. The culture, from what current and former employees have shared, is more collaborative than competitive internally. That said, E.CA Economics is a demanding environment. Cases are high-profile, clients are sophisticated, and the standard for economic rigor is very high. Economists who thrive here are those who commit to continuous learning and are comfortable working across jurisdictions and legal frameworks.
Exit Opportunities
An E.CA Economics tenure builds a profile that travels well. Economists from the firm have moved into roles at national and international competition authorities, in-house legal and economics teams at large corporations, academic research positions, and other economics consulting firms. The firm's work is highly regarded by European regulatory bodies including the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition, the German Bundeskartellamt, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
Because E.CA Economics focuses exclusively on competition economics, exits tend to follow that same track. You're not building a generalist consulting brand here. What you are building is deep expertise in a field where economists command significant rates and carry genuine authority in proceedings that can determine the outcome of billion-dollar transactions.
Notable Alumni
E.CA Economics was founded by three accomplished economists who continue to shape European competition policy. Several key figures associated with the firm include:
- Hans W. Friederiszick, Co-founder and Director at E.CA Economics, former member of the European Commission DG Comp Chief Economist Team, and Research Fellow at ESMT Berlin
- Rainer Nitsche, Co-founder and Director, ranked as the number one competition economist in Germany by JUVE, and winner of the Competition Economist of the Year award in 2024
- Lars-Hendrik Röller, Co-founder and Professor of Economics at ESMT Berlin, former President of ESMT, and former Chief Economic Advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Target Schools
E.CA Economics recruits primarily from top European graduate programs in economics. The firm attends career fairs and hosts recruiting events at universities known for rigorous quantitative training in economics and econometrics. A master's or PhD in economics is typically required for entry-level roles.
- ESMT Berlin (partner institution)
- Barcelona School of Economics
- Tilburg University (Economics and Management)
- University of Mannheim
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- London School of Economics
- Toulouse School of Economics
- University College London
Diversity Programs
E.CA Economics has taken steps to support diversity in economics as a discipline. In 2026, the firm became a sponsor of The Women in Economics Initiative, a program aimed at encouraging more women to pursue careers in economics and economic consulting. The firm is an equal opportunity employer and draws its team from across Europe and beyond. Its multilingual and multinational workforce reflects a genuine commitment to building an internationally representative team. There are no formalized undergraduate diversity recruiting programs publicly listed, though the firm participates in university career events that attract a broad range of candidates.
E.CA Economics Culture
E.CA Economics has built a culture around intellectual rigor, genuine teamwork, and personal development. The firm is structured to be non-hierarchical in practice, not just in theory. Junior economists work directly alongside senior directors on live cases, which accelerates learning in a way that more siloed environments simply don't. Multiple team members have described E.CA as a place where individual contributions are recognized and where the atmosphere is warm without being informal to the point of losing professional standards.
The firm hosts regular team events and has positioned itself as a place where a career in consulting and a career in research can coexist. Its partnership with ESMT Berlin reinforces this. Economists at E.CA are encouraged to publish, present at conferences, and stay engaged with the academic literature. That research culture is a genuine differentiator for economists who don't want to choose between the rigors of academia and the practical impact of consulting.
E.CA Economics History
E.CA Economics was founded in 2007 by three economists with deep ties to the European Commission: Hans W. Friederiszick, Rainer Nitsche, and Lars-Hendrik Röller. All three had served as part of the Chief Economist Team at DG Comp, the European Commission's competition enforcement arm, before launching the firm. That pedigree gave E.CA instant credibility in the market.
From the start, the firm positioned itself as a research-driven boutique focused exclusively on competition economics. The strategy worked. E.CA was included in Global Competition Review's top 21 competition economics groups from 2008 onward, a ranking streak that continued for over a decade. The firm expanded from its Berlin base to add offices in Brussels, Munich, and London, and established a long-standing US partnership with Bates White LLC for transatlantic cases.
In April 2026, E.CA Economics announced it would join BRG (Berkeley Research Group), a global consulting firm with over 1,800 professionals across 40+ offices worldwide. The acquisition significantly expands E.CA's geographic reach while preserving its leadership team and its focus on competition economics in Europe.
E.CA Economics Interview
The E.CA Economics interview process is designed to test exactly what the firm does every day: rigorous economic analysis under real-world conditions. This is not a traditional management consulting interview. You won't be walking through standard business case interviews the way you would at an MBB firm. Instead, expect the process to assess your technical economics knowledge, your ability to apply economic theory to competition law scenarios, and your skill at presenting quantitative findings clearly.
The firm has participated in virtual career fairs where candidates discuss a case study and meet economists one-on-one. This format gives you a preview of what the actual interview may look like. If you're applying for an economist or junior role, expect to be tested on microeconomics, market structure, and econometric methods. Senior candidates can expect deeper discussions about specific competition cases and methodology.
Preparing your analytical thinking and economic intuition is essential. Below are sample areas and question types that reflect what E.CA's interview process tends to probe:
- How would you define the relevant product and geographic market in a proposed merger between two grocery chains?
- Walk me through how you would calculate antitrust damages in a cartel case.
- What econometric methods would you use to assess whether a price increase was caused by a merger?
- How does economic theory inform the distinction between abuse of dominance and legitimate competitive behavior?
- Describe a piece of economic research you found compelling and explain its relevance to competition policy.
The Black Belt program at Management Consulted focuses on case interview preparation for management consulting roles, including economics consulting firms. If you're preparing to navigate a structured case scenario or structured analytical interview, the frameworks and practice it provides can help you organize and communicate your economic thinking more effectively.
Firm Interview Process
The E.CA Economics interview process typically involves multiple stages. First, you submit your application, including a CV and cover letter. If shortlisted, you'll be invited to an initial interview focused on your background and motivation. A technical or analytical assessment follows, where you're expected to demonstrate your quantitative skills and economic reasoning. Final-round interviews often involve meeting senior economists and directors. At career fair events, E.CA has conducted one-on-one case study discussions as part of its recruitment process.
Throughout the process, clarity of exposition matters as much as technical accuracy. The firm's core value of "clarity" is not just a cultural talking point. It's an interview standard. The ability to explain a complex economic argument simply and persuasively is something the firm actively selects for.
E.CA Economics Salary
E.CA Economics offers internationally competitive compensation, as noted on its careers page. Exact salary figures for the firm are not publicly disclosed. For context, competition economics consultants in Europe at the junior level typically earn in a range consistent with other specialist economics boutiques, with salaries rising substantially at the manager and director levels. In Germany, junior economist salaries in consulting generally start in the range of €50,000 to €65,000 and scale significantly with experience and seniority.
For a comprehensive view of compensation across the consulting industry, including economics consulting and boutique specialist firms, see the MC Consulting Salaries Report. It covers hundreds of firms and is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.
Conclusion
E.CA Economics is a high-caliber option for economists who want to apply rigorous quantitative analysis to real-world competition cases at the highest level in Europe. The firm's consistent recognition by Global Competition Review, its deep academic roots through ESMT Berlin, and its recent acquisition by BRG all point to an organization that is both established and growing. If you have a strong economics background, an interest in antitrust and regulation, and want to work with some of the most respected competition economists in Europe, E.CA Economics is a firm worth pursuing. Start by reviewing open positions and attending one of the firm's career fair appearances to make your first impression.