A global strategy consulting firm founded in 1973 in Boston by Bill Bain and seven former BCG partners. All its UK hiring runs through its London office.
Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that advises businesses, non-profits and governments. In plain terms, clients hire it to help with big decisions about strategy, growth, costs, deals and change, and Bain says it measures success by client results rather than recommendations. Wikipedia counts it as one of the three major strategy consulting firms and says it has 55 offices in 36 countries, with about 22,000 employees in 2025.
Bill Bain, a former Boston Consulting Group executive, founded it in 1973 with former colleagues including Patrick Graham, starting from an apartment in Beacon Hill, Boston. Early clients included Black & Decker and Texas Instruments. The London office opened in 1979. Wikipedia notes habits such as serving only one client in each industry to avoid conflicts of interest, and clients being known by code names to protect confidentiality. Christophe De Vusser became global managing partner in 2024, the first European in the role. In 2017 Glassdoor ranked it the top workplace in its Best Places to Work list.
Bain's own site says it aims to help clients "reach standout value" so they raise the bar for excellence in their industries. Its True North is a commitment to act rightly towards clients, employees and communities. Its values are Passion and Commitment, Honesty and Openness, Practical, and One Team. Its promise includes tying its fees to agreed outcomes and building clients' own teams so change lasts. These are the firm's own statements.
Beyond core strategy work, Bain's social impact practice covers areas such as education, climate change and local development, with pro bono clients including UNHCR and Teach for America, according to Wikipedia. In London, consultants take on 'extra 10%' pro bono projects for charities and NGOs, and the office runs volunteering and mentoring. Wikipedia also records recent AI-assisted work, such as building prototype replicas of software to assess acquisition targets.
For young people in the UK, Bain's London page says university hiring for the Associate Consultant role is open to final-year students and people with under two years of work experience, with bachelor's, master's and PhD students from any subject welcome ('No consulting background? No problem'). The 2026 application deadline was 15 October 2026 (now closed). The process is an online test of numbers, logic and work preferences, then two case interviews, with start dates through the year. A cover letter is not needed for London. An Associate Consultant Intern programme is for penultimate-year students, with 2027 applications expected to open in November 2026. Bain describes its people as 'dynamic, entrepreneurial' and keen on early responsibility; that is its own claim. A third-party guide says all UK recruiting is through the London office at 40 Strand, and that about 90% of graduate hires come from roughly 10 universities. Treat that as a guide, not a rule.
Website: www.bain.com
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